Fire department looks to continue momentum

The Sundance Fire Department had a productive year in 2021, Fire Chief Gari Gill said last week, and the year ahead may bring even more good news.

"It's kind of amazing how things are coming together," he told the Sundance City Council.

Among the progress and achievements the department can boast from last year, Gill said that Sundance has eight new firefighters and over half of them have already completed firefighter training.

"We are a pretty cohesive group," he said.

According to Gill, local businesses were solicited last year for donations to help fund gear for the new firefighters. Enough was raised through this method to outfit six of the eight, with the remaining two sets covered by the proceeds from a raffle.

Thanks to these donations, he said, "It didn't cost a lot from our budget."

Mayor Paul Brooks asked Gill if anything has been heard about the county's plans to build a new fire complex in Sundance's industrial plaza. Gill stated that he knows land has been purchased for it, but has not yet heard of any further progress on the plan.

However, said Gill, the Sundance department could see building upgrades of its own in 2022. If federal COVID-19 relief money can be secured for the purpose, he would like to make some changes to the fire hall.

Specifically, Gill said the building has been measured for an addition that would allow the primary exit for fire vehicles to be moved to the south side. This, he said, would be safer than "blasting straight out onto the street."

Brooks pointed out that it would likely be less icy in the winter, too, as the south side will have more benefit from the sun.

Backup vehicles would still face north and continue to exit as they do now, said Gill, but would be less often used as they are only necessary during a larger-scale event.

"Hopefully, we'd never have to run them all at once," he said.

Sundance firefighters responded to a total of 76 calls over the year of 2021, Gill said, not including assists for Life Flight.