Fire chief: Spring Valley FD needs new equipment

The Spring Valley Fire Department says it could have prevented citations for outdated equipment by fixing the deficiencies years ago. Fire Chief Ken Sohlman says the department told the Village Board

News 12 Staff

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Mar 30, 2016, 6:11 AM

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Updated 3,136 days ago

The Spring Valley Fire Department says it could have prevented citations for outdated equipment by fixing the deficiencies years ago.

Fire Chief Ken Sohlman says the department told the Village Board of Trustees about the need for updated fire gear over eight years ago.

He says nothing was done about it until February, when the trustees approved an over $1 million bond to purchase new fire department equipment.

However, the bond was drafted with incorrect wording, so repair funds were never delivered.

"The state Department of Labor came in and did an inspection because they got a complaint about the stuff and wrote up some violations," Sohlman says.

Beginning in April, the state will continue to fine the department $200 a day as long as firefighters continue to use the same, outdated equipment.

Spring Valley Special Counsel Dennis Lynch says the village is working on the issues and believes the state shouldn't be fining the department.

Sohlman says he is planning to meet with Mayor Demeze Delhomme in the coming days to see if some money can be set aside to order new gear before the April violation deadlines.