Safety And Licensing Committee Meeting 02/01/2023 – Will Vote On Fire Department Request To Purchase Red Wave Threat ID Spectrometer

The Safety and Licensing Committee will be holding a special meeting on 02/01/2023 at 6:30PM prior to the Common Council meeting at 7PM.

In addition to several alcohol license applications, the committee will be voting on two requests from the Fire Department. The first request is to purchase a red wave threat ID spectrometer. This will allow the department to identify unknown chemicals and pinpoint the source of chemical spills. The department’s current spectrometer is over 15 years old, no longer supported by the manufacturer, and needs replacement.

In the memo, Fire Chief Jeremy Hansen listed several examples of how the Fire Department has been able to use this technology in the past.

• Postal operations resume after a suspicious white powder was identified.
• A fuel spill located in the Fox River was accurately traced back to a leaking underground storage tank.
• An unknown substance found in a roadway gutter accurately identified as a paint product and traced back to its source.
• Gasoline used in an arson fire was accurately identified and matched with gasoline in a suspect’s gas can, adding essential physical evidence in an arrest.

The Fire Department is also requesting approval to submit a grant application for a FEMA’s Assistance to Firefighter’s Grant to fund the purchase of cardiac monitors.

Finally, they will be receiving a number of information items including a liquor law violation by Chadwick’s for selling alcohol to minors, and an update to the Police Department’s Table of Organization.

View full meeting details here: https://cityofappleton.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=1078125&GUID=A19D22F6-9A81-4CC4-9E86-52B4F7B0BD07