Central Emergency Services

Central Kenai Peninsula Fire & EMS Providers

Chris Mokracek Fire Chief

MEMORANDUM 05-047

TO: Gary Superman, Assembly President

Members, Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly

THRU: Dale Bagley, Mayor

THRU: Chris Mokracek, Chief

FROM: Gary Hale, Fire Marshal

DATE: September 8, 2005

SUBJ: Sole Source for Fire Prevention/Sprinkler Trailer

This is a request to allow for a sole source purchase of a 39 foot Combination Sprinkler/ Fire safety House, model FLT, from Mobile Concepts by Scotty, located in Mt. Pleasant, PA, for the price of $73,079.00 which includes shipping from Mt. Pleasant, PA, to Anchorage, Alaska.

Presently, there is one additional fire safety house on the Kenai Peninsula, owned by the Kenai Fire Department. The sole source purchase we are requesting is for a fire safety house having multiple capabilities, which the Kenai Fire Safety House currently cannot duplicate. Mobile Concepts is one of only two companies in the United States, who produce fire safety trailers, the other is a company called Surrey, out of Napoleon, OH. The Surrey Company does not manufacture trailers with the sprinkler demonstration room built-in, preventing the community from seeing the full effect of a fire within a room, while having the sprinkler system activate.

In years past, CES has borrowed the safety trailer from the Kenai Fire Department, through a users agreement, but CES's needs have grown to provide the community with more than just providing the typical fire public education. Our community needs education on residential sprinklers and what to do in the event of an earthquake. Such a trailer would be beneficial, not only to our community, but made available to other communities such as Homer, Seward, Moose Pass, etc.

As time has passed, revisions to the Kenai Fire Departments user agreement has given the Kenai Peninsula Borough Risk manager concern over wording and responsibility for the use of the fire safety trailer, preventing CES from using the trailer in our community.