Department of Public Safety receives several upgrades

FRASER — The Fraser Department of Public Safety recently received unanimous approval from the City Council on items ranging from lifesaving equipment to office chairs.

Samantha Kretzschmar, Fraser’s director of public safety, went through the expenditures at the council’s Aug. 8 meeting.

The first item Kretzschmar requested approval on was advanced lifesaving equipment for the city’s EMS service. This includes a cardiac monitor and LUCAS compression system. These items, with warranty and shipping costs, came to $110,776. This put the cost for the items at about $13,000 for what was initially budgeted. The costs, and budget amendment, were OK’d by the council, and the funds will come from the city’s ambulance fund for the 2024-25 budget.

Currently, only one of the city’s two ambulances has this equipment.

“What we’re going to do here is make sure they can both run all the time,” Kretzschmar said.

The department received approval to purchase three 2025 Ford Explorers from Lunghamer Ford through the MiDeal program. The vehicles, with outfitting, came in under budget at $212,865. (The budget originally set aside $230,000.) The funds were budgeted in the city’s general fund for the current fiscal year. The department originally intended to get Chevrolet Tahoes, but when none were available, they opted for the Explorers.

A new community outreach vehicle was approved for the department by the council. Kretzschmar said, per a previous request from Mayor Pro Tem Dana Sutherland, that EV vehicles were looked at but did not fit the needs of the department. A 2024 Chevrolet Silverado was selected for $67,718, including outfitting, from Berger Chevrolet.

Councilwoman Patrice Schornak questioned whether the previous truck, which Kretzschmar said was rusting and had high mileage, needed replacing.

Sutherland suggested it could be repurposed for another department, mentioning a need at the Department of Public Works.

“It’s not up on blocks. I think it can be repurposed,” Kretzschmar said.

A portion of the funding for the truck comes from drug forfeiture ($55,000), and the other part comes from donations to the community outreach program fund.

Nineteen chairs, varying from office chairs to ones without backs, will be replaced for the department for a total cost of $9,608. Funding for the seating comes from the gambling forfeiture fund for the current fiscal year.

Finally, the city will now be able to test its own Breathalyzer samples with the Intoxilyzer 9000. Samples had to be tested in Roseville previously due to Fraser not having this technology. The total cost for the item in the first year is $11,356 and $1,500 each year after. The annual fee is due to mandatory inspections to make sure the equipment is operating properly by the Michigan State Police. The equipment was only available through the MSP, so competitive bidding was waived. The money will come out of the city’s general fund for the current fiscal year.