Label
Donation of Fire Gear
Fire & Rescue Department
Ted Sheares (x3515)
Revised
Title
Authorizing the donation of retired fire protective gear to the City of Belgrade, Serbia; waiving the requirements of TMC 187; and declaring an emergency.
Body
SUMMARY & BACKGROUND:
The Toledo Fire & Rescue Department (TFRD) seeks to donate retired fire protective gear to Belgrade, Serbia.
The Ohio National Guard through their State partnership Program efforts has a relationship with Serbia and Hungary providing them assistance when asked by the Department of Defense or the State Department. A request came from the Serbian Ministry of Interior through the US Embassy in Serbia for assistance in the development of Firefighting Capability in Serbia. The US Embassy contacted the Department of Defense and the mission was assigned to the Ohio National Guard as part of their State Partnership Program efforts. The Ohio National Guard began conversations with the Serbian Ministry of Interior Sector for Emergency Management (MoI/SEM) to determine the needs and current state of firefighting services within the country of Serbia.
It was determined the Ohio National Guard would make efforts immediately in conjunction with the US Embassy and the State Department to work with Ohio Fire Departments to obtain protective fire clothing (turnouts gloves boots helmets etc.) as well as firefighting equipment and ship it over as an interim measure until the budgetary issues within Serbia can catch up to the need.
The project lead is Colonel Breitfelder, also an Assistant Chief with the City of Cincinnati Fire Department, is leveraging his relationship with other Metro Departments in the State of Ohio to obtain their excess gear and equipment for donation to Serbia. Current discussions include donations from City of Toledo, Cincinnati, Cleveland and Columbus.
The current plan is to collect the gear at a national guard location near each city where it will be inventoried and prepped for shipment to Serbia. Shipment of the gear would most likely occur on an Ohio National Guard aircraft and flown directly to Belgrade Serbia whereby the US Embassy would be instrumental in arranging its transfer to the Serbian MoI SEM.
The gear once arriving in Serbia and transferred to the MoI SEM will then be distributed to Volunteer Fire Stations throughout Serbia as an interim stop gap measure until the funding can be identified to provide newer gear to their fire stations.
Summary
NOW, THEREFORE, Be it ordained by the Council of the City of Toledo:
SECTION 1. That the donation of retired fire gear is authorized to the City of Belgrade, Serbia and the Mayor is authorized to execute any needed instruments to effectuate the donation.
SECTION 2. That this Council finds and determines that subject property is no longer needed for a municipal purpose and approves the donation and the waiving of the competitive disposition requirements of the Toledo Municipal Code Chapter 187.
SECTION 3. That this Ordinance hereby is declared to be an emergency measure and shall be in force and effect from and after its passage. The reason for the emergency lies in the fact that the same is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, and property and for further reason that the ordinance must be immediately effective in order to expedite its delivery to and be used by Belgrade, Serbia.
Vote on emergency clause: yeas 12, nays 0.
Passed: June 7, 2022, as an emergency measure: yeas 12, nays 0.
Attest:
Gerald E. Dendinger Matt Cherry
Clerk of Council President of Council
Approved: June 8, 2022
Wade Kapszukiewicz
Mayor