Mehlville Fire Promotes Two, Hires Labor Consultant

The Mehlville Fire Protection District promoted two captains to deputy chiefs and gave the OK to buy the district’s first four-wheel drive ambulance at its meeting May 2.

Kevin Reis and Tim Dempsey were both promoted at the meeting amid congratulations from families and friends. Reis has been with the district for 15 years, and Dempsey has been serving for 19 years. Three new firefighter/paramedics were also hired at the meeting, and a separation agreement with former Deputy Chief Joe Smith was approved.

In addition, a labor consultant was hired for a possible restructuring of district personnel. The board voted to hire Burt Garland for $330 an hour. Garland is an attorney at Ogletree Deakins, a firm that provides council in labor and employment law.

"We’re going to redo some policies and procedures as well as the structure of personnel. And we wanted to make sure we’re doing everything right with labor laws, said board treasurer Bonnie Stegman. “If we do any restructuring, we want it to be on the up-and-up.”

The board also approved the purchase of a new demo ambulance with four-wheel drive.

The district typically buys one ambulance a year, Mehlville Fire Chief Tim White said. However, in December and January 2010, the district bought two ambulances, throwing off the schedule.

“The idea is one per year,” White said. “The useful life is about five years for frontline service. It’s at that point that the LSV (Life Support Vehicle) then goes into spare status for typically about three years, and it continues to cycle through.”

Purchasing a four-wheel drive ambulance is a first for the district and would help in severe weather and rain, White said.  The district looked at 10 different vendors in several states across the U.S.

“It didn’t make any sense to me and I couldn’t find any real answer—why is it that our LSVs are not four-wheel drive?” White said.  “And clearly, that is available to us now through either Ford or Dodge.”

White recommended the board purchase a Foster Coach Med Tech F450 ambulance for $158,978 as a demo for the district. The ambulances purchased in 2010 cost approximately $170,000 each, without the four-wheel drive.

“It’s an excellent unit that rivals what we have now,” White said.