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After hearing this week from local media that free carbon monoxide detectors will eventually be available to every Kosciusko County residence, Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory Chief Joel Shilling told the Board of Public Works and Safety that from 8 to about 10 a.m. Friday they had 12 people stop in for smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors.
“We don’t have the carbon monoxide detectors yet. We do have the smoke detectors to hand out, but we do not have the carbon monoxide detectors, and as soon as they are available, we’ll do another press release as well, but I’m hoping within the next couple weeks,” Shilling stated.
Shilling presented to the Board of Works on Friday a fund agreement between the Kosciusko County Community Foundation and a donor.
“The importance of it being in there is, the fund that is being set up at the Community Foundation is to supply free smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors, to any of the residents in Kosciusko County,” he said. “This is kind of a joint effort between the Community Foundation, an anonymous donor and then ourselves as the Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory.”
With that, Shilling continued, the Community Foundation wants to give WWFT those funds to be put into the territory’s donation account and then the WWFT purchase the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and any other educational material that goes out to the public so the public will know where to get them and know that they’re available.
Shilling said the funds are only going to come to the WWFT but it is for the entire county. The WWFT Board on Wednesday accepted the funds into the territory’s donation account and to spend those funds on the detectors and educational material.
“It does have to be approved before any of those funds have to be spent out of that account, or we get paid by the Community Foundation. It has to be either requested by myself, as the fire territory chief, and/or the division chief of prevention and education, which is our fire marshal, who manages all of our public education programs,” Shilling said.
Councilwoman Diane Quance asked him to clarify if the fire territory was going to buy the detectors and then the Community Foundation was going to reimburse the fire territory. Shilling said that was the plan.
The original 2001 fund set up at the Community Foundation, Shilling said, was only for smoke detectors. “Now with the other donor wanting to push carbon monoxide detectors, the Community Foundation is changing that fund to encompass those as well,” he said.
He didn’t know as of Friday exactly how much funding was in the WWFT’s account for smoke detectors, “so the very first acceptance might be to establish that fund so we can go purchase a bulk amount, and then once we run low on our inventory, we will go back to the Community Foundation, or purchase some, and then from that point on, it will be a reimbursement.”
The donor wanted to ensure that the fire territory had its steps in line, could accept the funds and then that the territory was following through with the donor’s wishes.
Shilling said he’s worked with the clerk’s office and they already have a smoke detector donation account established. “Basically, we’re taking an existing program that we already have and just expanding it to carbon monoxide detectors,” he said.
Asked for his thoughts on it by Board member George Clemens, city attorney Scott Reust said they’ve been in discussions on it for a bit. “They’re doing everything they can to be transparent and tell you and get your approval. I think the two big things are: The money to be spent on smoke detectors and now carbon monoxide (detectors) are donor funded, and the second part is they’re going to facilitate it for the entire county, so your approval is not just for the city of Warsaw residents, but I think the plan is for them to be distributed throughout the county by other fire departments. I think it’s a fabulous thing to have donors donating life-saving things like smoke detectors and carbon monoxide (detectors),” Reust stated.
Mayor Jeff Grose said the amount donated could potentially provide carbon monoxide detectors in every home in the entire county. “It is a massive gift. It could protect countless lives,” he said, adding that he appreciated everyone working on it to get to this point. “... It’s very exciting from my standpoint actually.”
Shilling said WWFT will serve as the hub for the detectors. Other fire departments in the county will be able to pick detectors up at the WWFT and have them at their stations as well to give up. However, not all fire departments in the county are staffed 24/7, so Warsaw-Wayne serves as a place that county residents can pick them up and not have to wait until normal business hours.
Grose asked Shilling to explain how a person in the county could get a smoke or carbon monoxide detector.
“We will have a stock or inventory of them, again, at our department, and then they come in. They just tell us what they are there for, a smoke detector or a carbon monoxide detector. They fill out the form. That form gets inputted into our records management system. That is good for approximately the life of that detector, so approximately 10 years,” Shilling said.
The Community Foundation will get an annual report of where the detectors went, though not specifically by household but more by town or area. If another fire department comes get detector from WWFT, a form for that is also filled out to help keep track of where the detectors go.
Quance made a motion to expand the fund to include the donation of carbon monoxide detectors, to allow the WWFT to distribute both smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to all county residents, and to accept the donation from the Community Foundation for reimbursement and any other related educational expenses for responsible use by the public. Clemens seconded the motion and it passed 3-0.
Reust asked Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory Chief Joel Shilling when did he expect to have a supply of the detectors.
“I believe it’s kind of fluid right now. I’m not 100% certain if the (Kosciusko County) Community Foundation has finished that. I know they do have to - once I get back with them about our boards being good with the terms of the agreement - the donor and the Community Foundation will sign a new agreement,” Shilling said. “And then the way I understood it, from that point forward, once the funds are there, we’re able to go and do that.”
He said he was hoping within the next couple weeks that will happen.
Reust said the donation was “incredibly generous” and it was “no doubt these things are going to save lives.”
