- The City of Perry is requesting money from the state budget to upgrade their fire department.
- Public safety leaders said some of the features inside the current station are over 100 years old.
- Watch the video to find out how this money would be spent and why they want to transform the department.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
One of the City of Perry's requests for funding from this year's legislative session: a new fire station.
Some facilities in the current station are about 100 years old.
Upgrades to this station will allow for newer equipment and a faster, more efficient response time. Improvements to public safety are needed with the recent rise in severe weather this City has seen.
Perry's Fire Department has stood the test of time in the City.
City of Perry Fire Chief R.B. Lee said some features inside their current building are over 100 years old.
Now, Lee said the department is in desperate need of an update.
"Very little upgrades, very little remodeling, so you can't do just so much with this building," said Lee.
Lee added this neglect is putting limitations on their service to the community.
"We need an up-to-date fire station with enough room for our personnel, our equipment, and for the future growth of this department, places to train, for our firefighters and all to train to be able to do their job better," said Lee.
The City is going after money in the state budget this year to overhaul the current department.
The goal is to have one facility that can house their department, equipment, and a training ground. Currently, firefighters train offsite.
Tell me a little bit about the wear and tear that you've had on the equipment just in the last year with all the severe weather.
"[We're] running a lot more calls out in the hurricanes, during the storm, just the mileage and the wear and tear on them is taking a toll on them," said Lee.
The building's limitations not only impact the community but also the quality of life for firefighters. They work 48-hour shifts, then they're off the clock for 96.
Why's it so important that you do have a nice space to reside, train, work when you are there for 48 hours?
"Because it's our home. we spend more time at work than some of us do at home," said Lieutenant Oby Brannen with the City of Perry Fire Department. "We're cramped. Some of us have to sleep together. We have to hop beds, whoever sleeps in the bed, someone else has to come in and sleep in the same bed. If somebody is sick from the day before, there's a possibility that person comes in and gets it."
Brannen said renovations will also help save Perry residents money by bringing down insurance costs.
"The training we do, our equipment we have, and the number of firefighters help lower our ISO rating for your fire insurance for your businesses and homes," said Brannen.
Brannen said the new facility will also help support the future growth of this fire department.
"We would get back on track and we would multiply and grow and we could even expand our department and have more firemen maybe in the future," said Brannen.
The City is asking for $300,000 from the state budget for this upgrade. This will be for the planning and design phase.
