Already the fastest-growing fire department in Broward County, Davie Fire-Rescue is acquiring key equipment that will allow it to deliver more services to the town's booming population.
On Thursday, the Town Council bid for key pieces of equipment for Fire-Rescue's newly formed technical rescue squad.
Now that bids are accepted, the department will buy its first technical rescue vehicle, as well as specialized tools such as indoor breathing equipment and thermal imagers to help firefighters spot victims covered in rubble.
The truck also will carry a hydraulic lift used to remove chunks of debris and an air compressor system to provide fresh air to people trapped in holes or small spaces.
The truck will not accompany regular fire-rescue vehicles to every call but instead will assist after hurricanes, building collapses and other out-of-the-ordinary events, Davie Fire Chief Donald DiPetrillo said.
The technical rescue purchases are part of a planned five-year effort to boost the organization's performance and service to meet the needs of the town's growing population.
The plan has reached its midpoint and residents are seeing the payoffs at last, DiPetrillo said.
''We're finally getting to the point where service is starting to match the demands of the community,'' he said.
The equipment will cost the town nearly $590,000. The town will pay for the indoor breathing apparatus with Federal Emergency Management Agency grant money. Money from the town's $16.5 million fire bond, approved by voters in 2003, will pay for the $448,000 technical rescue vehicle.
Last month, the Town Council also awarded contracts for new records management software and an automated staff scheduling system.
The tools will save the department time and help meet state and federal standards for record-keeping, said DiPetrillo.
The scheduling and records tools also help Davie take a more results-driven approach to fire-rescue and helps the department meet requirements for grant money, DiPetrillo said.
''These tools help us understand what we need and offer data to back that up,'' when the town applies for fire-rescue grants, he said. ''We end up having a more effective organization because we end up putting our resources where they need to go.''
