The fire chief requested funding increases in the department’s maintenance and training lines to support a wellness platform and phased upgrades to firefighting-compatible portable radios and remote speaker microphones.

On wellness, the chief said Lexipol and a partner vendor offered a wellness service that would provide anonymous mental-health and wellness resources to firefighters and their families, plus peer-support training content and a usage dashboard for the chief (without names). The chief proposed adding funds to the maintenance/contracts budget so the department can pilot the program and decide whether to renew based on measurable usage.

The chief also described a technical radios need: radios provided by the county work in general, but the remote speaker mics and cords used by firefighters are the weak link — muffled when wet and not rated for high-heat exposure. The chief proposed buying 12 higher-spec, noise-cancelling remote speaker mics (each with extra battery) in a phased CIP approach, noting the devices cost roughly $9,000 apiece and that full replacement across all staff would be phased over multiple years.

Discussion vs. decision: the Board of Works and council had not approved contracts in this session. The chief said he would bring contract language and the vendor proposal to the Board of Works for approval and monitor usage of the wellness platform before authorizing further spending.

Ending: The chief will present the wellness contract and phased radio procurement details to the Board of Works; staff will evaluate anonymous usage metrics and decide on renewal or wider rollout based on uptake.