CLAYPOOL – At Tuesday night's meeting, the Claypool Town Council heard from Fire Chief Rick Hurley regarding possible new Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards for fire departments and how those would affect Claypool Volunteer Fire Department.
OSHA has been working since 2007 on updated regulations for fire service to align its Fire Brigade Standards closer to those of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Fire Brigade Standards were initially enacted in 1980 and have not been updated since.
If the proposal is passed, the new OSHA standards would require an additional 173 hours of annual training for the average firefighter, with fire officers needing up to 196 hours of training and each fire truck needing annual inspections.
Hurley said the department's current annual budget is $50,000 but would need to increase it to $200,000 per year to become compliant. Hurley said taxes would increase and urged residents to contact local legislators like state Rep. Craig Snow about the proposal.
In other business:
• Kosciusko Area Bus Service (KABS) General Manager Kristin Rude talked to the council about what services KABS offers, including transportation from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and same-day rides for an extra $5 fee.
• Council President Benny Stage Jr. introduced two ordinances on first reading: one regarding trash bins and other on pets running at large.
The ordinances state no resident can place their trash out for pickup no sooner than noon the day of collection, and no dog or cat should run loose in town. All pets must be leashed when accompanied by the owner outside the owner's property.
The council will next meet at 7 p.m. Aug. 20.