SWC Police, Fire Personnel Help Community
The two newest additions to the Southwest City Police Department this year were a much-needed patrol vehicle and recent newly POSTcertified officer Brittany Schappel.
Quickly after graduating from the police academy, Schappel selected Southwest City as her service area and settled in. With the help of a USDA grant, Southwest City was able to purchase a 2017 Ford Explorer 4 x 4 outfitted with a police package.
Police Chief Bud Gow was also able to secure a laptop, speaker box, Tyvek suits for personal protection and a defibrillator through various Department of Defense surplus grants, as well as light bar kits, oxygen trauma bags and stop sticks for both patrol vehicles.
Gow has been in law enforcement for 36 years and has served as Southwest City’s police chief for seven years. He is consistently working to secure the most up-to-date equipment and training. The department was one of the first in the state to receive NARCAN and be trained in the use of the overdose reversal medication.
Four years ago, Gow made the proactive decision to equip his officers with body cameras and, two years ago, dashboard cameras were added too.
“I’ve learned more about technology than I ever wanted to,” he joked, noting that both cameras have been beneficial in proving both innocence and guilt in different situations.
Fire Department
This year’s largest upgrade for the Southwest City Fire Department exists far outside of the fire station; it spans thousands of feet throughout the town — the water system.
Voters overwhelmingly approved a $3 million bond issue to address deteriorating water infrastructure, with 87% of votes in favor of the bond issue. Data collected over the last year indicates that, currently, for every gallon of water that flows through the pipes and is delivered, another gallon and a half are lost via leaks along the way.
In order to address the myriad of issues, the project will include the installation of new water lines, hydrants, mains and meters, as well as the construction of a new well and a new water tower. Any remaining 4-inch water mains in town will be upgraded to 6-inch mains as well.
Fire Chief Shane Clark says that these updates will significantly improve the water pressure and flow during an emergency response, as many of the hydrants on the south side of Honey Creek are nearly unusable.
Increased accessibility to water will also allow the department to scale down the department’s fleet capacity. Currently, there are two 2,500 gallon tankers and two 1,000 gallon engines to compensate for the difficulty of refilling tanks mid-response.
It will also affect the price of homeowner’s insurance if the city’s ISO rating drops the expected 3 to 4 points, he explained.