Acting Fire Chief Josh Winter made little progress in advancing the Nevis Fire Department’s interests with the Nevis City Council on July 11.

Council members asked Winter about the fire department’s progress in drafting a fire chief job description, reminding him that the chief’s position cannot be filled without a job description.

Winter said the department was meeting that evening to discuss it, and Mayor Jeanne Thompson urged him to bring a policy to city staff by the end of July for the council to approve at its August meeting.

Thompson also advocated posting the position for internal candidates, noting that internal hires have not led the department to a fire chief who is willing to take on the administrative side of the job.

Although she acknowledged that the firefighters seem leery of trusting their lives to an outsider, Thompson suggested that an experienced firefighter, such as a retiree, might be willing to move to the area to take the job.

Winter also brought back quotes from one vendor for items he had voiced interest in purchasing at the council’s June 13 meeting. The items included an exhaust fan, Class A uniforms and various devices powered by rechargeable batteries.

At the June meeting, Thompson had urged Winter to bring bids for these proposed purchases to city staff, to prepare a resolution for council action at this month’s meeting.

Instead, Winter advocated buying from Heiman Fire Equipment, described as a reliable company that specializes in equipping fire departments.

Thompson again admonished Winter to bring the council two quotes for each of the items the department is interested in buying. Council members also discussed providing a request form to attach to the quotes.

Regarding building maintenance, Winter said he was waiting for a bid from Avenson Electric for electrical work at the fire hall, including lighting and a separate circuit for the department’s pressure washer.

“Right now, if the furnace is on in our fire hall and you use the pressure washer, it trips the breaker,” he said. “So, you have to shut the furnace off, run the pressure washer and remember to turn the furnace back on.”

Turning to vehicle maintenance, Winter said he wants to take the department’s first response rig for service, probably at Westside Auto, because of a suspected turbo issue that keeps the truck from accelerating until it warms up.

“I need to take the truck over and leave it for the night, so that they can run it the next day after it’s cooled off, and they can diagnose it from there.”

He said first response equipment will be transferred to the department’s ambulance while this work is in progress.

Winter also reported the department is searching for the correct part needed to repair the front deck gun on their brush truck.

In other staff reports, the council: