Station 1 exhaust system to see upgrade

Low bid allows city to piggyback on last year’s Station 2 vent project

Kirtland officials are taking care of their own with a resolution approved this week.

City Council on May 3 authorized Fire Chief Tony Hutton to accept a proposal from Cincinnatibased Clear Air Concepts for a new vehicle exhaust removal system at Fire Station 1.

The fully automatic MagneGrip Diesel Exhaust Extraction System will hook right into the exhaust pipes of emergency vehicles and detach at the door’s threshold as they drive out of the station.

The cost is $32,131, most of which will be covered with the remainder of a grant for a similar system installed at Station 2 in June.

The Fire Department received an $83,809 Assistance to Firefighters FEMA Grant toward the initial project.

The Station 2 furnishing and installation cost came in at $58,989, leaving $29,011 of that grant money in the Capital Improvement Fund.

The city is contributing about $4,190.

“We came in well under budget for the Station 2 system,”

Fire Chief Tony Hutton said. “In the fall of 2020, we requested to use the excess funds to improve the exhaust system to direct capture at Station 1.”

Station 2 had no exhaust system prior to last June, and Station 1’s dated to the building’s construction in 1993.

A visit to the Station 1 garage when a vehicle is running makes it clear that the current system isn’t up to par.

“The new system will attach directly to the vehicle exhaust and vent through the new system, thereby improving firefighter health and safety,” Hutton said.

The installation is expected to take place in June.

BETSY SCOTT — THE NEWS-HERALD Kirtland Fire Station 1 is getting a safety upgrade, thanks to a grant.