A new administration will soon take over for the City of Erie and with that will come some changes. But current Mayor, Joe Schember believes he is leaving things in a good place, especially when it comes to the improvements to the Erie Fire Department.
“When I first took office, I learned all this equipment was outdated. From the six houses, we have done a lot of work and refreshed everything. Next year, they are going to get another new fire truck and a couple years after that, still another one that’s scheduled”, said Mayor Schember.
Schember said he is proud of updating their emergency response plan and adding new positions with a new Assistant Fire Chief and Emergency Management Coordinator.
Over the past eight years, the Erie Fire Department has secured thousands of dollars in grants to get new equipment and replace old equipment as well, including this new contamination shower.
According to Erie Fire Chief Leonard Trott, “This is an SCBA washer. It will clean our self contained breathing apparatus. They are what keeps us safe and alive in a fire situation and they absorb all the chemicals and the particles from the fire that are cancer causing.”
The fire department also partnered with community organizations to provide resources to fire fighters, like with their recent cancer screening.
As Shawn Bednard, with the Hamot Health Foundation said, “We were able to provide the opportunity for a cost free, no out of pocket cost for them to find out one way or another.”
Over 100 fire fighters took advantage of this service that could save lives. “Early detection, early prevention, it’s critical for cancer care, so for us to play a small role with so many community partners for something as critical as cancer prevention is essential”, said Bednard.
According to Trott, they gave test in the summer for new recruits and have narrowed it down to top candidates that passed both physical and written test.