Borough updates safety equipment

FRANKLIN — The borough last week gave final passage to an ordinance appropriating $60,675 for the updating and replacement of equipment for both the police and fire departments. The money, which is being taken from the borough’s general capital improvement fund, has already been budgeted for, borough officials said. Chief among the new items will be a new video system for borough police cars that can be activated “primarily during an officer’s motor vehicle or accident stop,” explained borough administrator Richard R. Wolak. “And it can be disconnected from the car and used as an investigation tool. The real reason we’re replacing it is because the ones we have are 10 years old, and they’re no longer as reliable.” For the fire department, the borough will satisfy some federally-mandated requirements for “turnout gear” by purchasing new “bunker pants,” helmets, jackets and boots for firefighters, Wolak said. Also, “we’re going to replace some air cylinders for the breathing apparatus, which are quite expensive, but again, because they’re so outdated, we need new ones,” Wolak said. As state and federal mandates continue, the cost to outfit firefighters now is about $1,800 per man, and about $1,200 each for other Emergency Management Service personnel, the administrator added.