Try not to need the Paradise fire volunteers until after 5

By John Zsiray

PARADISE -- Volunteer firefighters will have to find another way to get money to build their new fire station after being passed up for a grant.

Assistant Fire Chief Blake Pulsipher reported to the town council Wednesday that the volunteers hadn't been selected for a grant offered through Bear River Associated Governments. The grant would have been a matching funds grant, to help build the new station.

The council has asked the assistance of Diane Gehrke to do some future grant-writing for the department. She will be applying for grants that are through HUD and EDI. Logan City received the HUD grant for its new fire station being built on the east side of USU's campus.

The volunteer fire department is also in need of more volunteers, Pulsipher said. It is lacking people who are available during midday.

"If you are going to have a heart attack or a fire do it after 5 p.m.," Pulsipher said.

The department is trying to recruit and train more people. It sent out 275 fliers in the Herald Journal and received no response.

The fire department is also close to completing its new fire truck, which was donated by North Logan's fire department.

"The truck will be enrolled in the You Reach Program," Pulsipher said. The program is a setup to help extinguish fires within a 400-mile radius of Logan. The truck has to meet certain requirements to be considered. Having the truck in this program will also bring money back to the fire department each time the truck is used.

"We will send the truck down on fires to add backup to other departments," Pulsipher said.

The council also discussed Eagle Scout project ideas for a scout who asked the council for ideas. The council came up with many ideas, ranging from cutting down a few trees to helping with canal flow to painting playground equipment. One idea presented by Mayor Lee Atwood was for the fire hydrants to be painted. The fire department was looking into painting the fire hydrants in Paradise according to their pressure rating.

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