Loogootee Board of Approves New Fire Department Truck, Advances Police K-9 Program

At their Monday night meeting, the Loogootee Board of Works backed major public safety upgrades, approving a new fire department truck and advancing a revived police K-9 program.

The Loogootee Fire Department requested the replacement of the Squad 3 Medical Truck with a new Ford F-350 truck. The department’s statement said, “We recently invested time and resources in a new fire prevention trailer, a vital education tool for school and community events. But we lack a reliable, dedicated vehicle with necessary towing capacity to transport it safely.” At present, the trailer has to be hauled with a personal vehicle.

In addition, the Squad 3 truck has been in the department’s inventory for over 15 years. The vehicle is 24 years old, and its maintenance costs are rising. It is 2-wheel drive, which is restrictive in severe weather conditions and can be an impediment in rural medical calls. The new four-wheel drive truck with towing capacity would allow first responders to answer all calls, and most importantly, medical calls. The low bid was not accepted, since it was in Missouri and the board preferred to keep the funds at least within the state. The board approved the request for the extended cab F-350, with the stipulation that the Council would determine financing.

The Police Department introduced a proposal to revive the K-9 program, describing it as “vital to the city and community as a whole.” They cited narcotics detection, suspect tracking, endangered or missing persons. tracking, and officer safety in high-risk situations as just some of the ways that a K-9 would be valuable to the department. They received a $15,000 conditional-based grant through the Martin County Community Foundation. Before the department can move forward, they will need to allocate an additional $15,000. Several other grant opportunities were suggested, including Being for Others. The board voted to approve the program and to take the funding request to the Council.

In other business, the previously approved radio purchase for the Fire Department will be delayed. They will receive a one-time donation of 20 end-of-life radios from the Integrated Public Safety Commission that will run on both the repeater and digital system. This will allow the department time to determine what equipment will serve them best over the long term.

Installation of the exercise equipment at the City Park was sidelined because of the extreme weather but should be in place within the month. The board also reviewed proposals for various solutions to downtown parking. With the introduction of new businesses, this will continue to become a more pressing issue. Senior parking was also mentioned as a concern. An ordinance will also be drafted in order to organize the existing parking.

For more information on these and other updates, visit www.loogootee.in.gov

- Drew Hasselbring