Fire departments receive equipment loans

The fire departments of Garvin and Balaton brought the heat at Tuesday’s Lyon County Board meeting and were granted the funding they requested for new equipment.
Balaton’s Fire Department received a loan of approximately $8,500 for a new washer, dryer and iPad. The Garvin Fire Department received $4,700 for a new dryer. Both loans require payback in five years.
“When we go to a COVID call or a structural fire they want to get everything out of their gear and don’t want to drag that home,” Garvin Fire Department firefighter/Grants Coordinator Jason Algyer said. “It takes a special washer and dryer to wash that equipment.”
Other firefighters presenting to the board were Kasey Holm, Troy Wendland and Joe Stefanick.
Garvin received a washer from its CARES Act funding a few months ago and has since been letting everything they wash air-dry.
Proper cleaning of turnout gear not only extends the life of the clothing but can save the life of a firefighter, too.
Dirty gear means less insulation for the individual wearing it and the odds of trapping more heat are high. It also increases the likelihood of the gear being flammable.
The problem with air-drying the gear is that if UV light hits it, it can deteriorate some of the fibers. With machine drying, a no-heat setting is key.
Gear typically lasts anywhere from one to five years, and very rarely there is gear that can last up to 20 years, with most turnout gear having a lifespan of 25-50 wash cycles.
In the end, turnout gear can convert what would have been a fourth-degree burn into a second-degree burn and save a life.

In other news, the board:
• Approved the recommendation of Peter Peterson to the Lincoln-Pipestone Rural Water Board.
• Appointed Ruth Bot to the library board.
• Approved the waiver of fees for the portable stage rental for Murray County. The waiver allows the Lyon County Fair to use bleachers from Murray County rent-free, while Murray County will use Lyon County’s stage rent-free.
•Approved the Environmental Department staff to dispose of recycling carts in the future as needed to best manage remaining inventory.
• Approved the Sheriff’s Office to apply for a COVID-19 response grant through the MN Office of Justice, seeking approximately $150,000 to purchase UV lamps for sterilization, first-aid supplies, and remote communication equipment for inmates to communicate with court and partners.
• Approved the hiring of Tammy Isaackson as on-call Dispatch at the hourly rate of $24.85 at a pay grade seven.
• Approved a Conditional Use Permit to Finley Engineering Company - Woodstock Communications to construct a 300-foot guyed Broadband Tower. In the agenda packet, an example was shown of Tracy’s North Radio Site.
• Approved a Conditional Use Permit to Brad Peterson to build a new feedlot of 3,300 wean to finish swine.
• Approved a Conditional Use Permit for Carrs Farms Partnership - Tolk Graveling to process sand and gravel.
• Approved the final contract with Central Specialities, Inc. and approved the final payment of $312,676.57.
•Approved the purchase of two TP2STRC pup trailers from Monroe Towmaster, LLC for a total price of $66,158.24.
• Approved trailer 25.7 and 21.8 as surplus property.
• Approved agreement and resolution to enter Lyon County into an agreement with BNSF and MnDOT for the installation of a new active signal crossing at CSAH 21 (Blaine St.) in Florence.

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