Generator Coming To Baxter Fire Department

The Baxter Fire Department will install a generator, a move to benefit local residents and community safety.

City Council approved the low bid of $13,000. Baxter Fire Chief Matthew White said the department had been looking at purchasing a generator for several years.

“Emergency power is needed to raise bay doors to make sure you have an entry, keeps everything charged, and keeps everything up and running,” White said. “That’s kind of our home base center and we kind of like to have power there no matter what. Sometimes you don’t know whether the power may be out for just a few minutes, or hours, or days.”

White said the department has had to work around the issue of not having a generator by calling an electrician to install a portable generator to restore power during outages. White said the generator will allow the department to have a fast response to emergencies regardless of weather conditions.

“Of course, there are always power outages that may occur from time to time,” White said. “And we have had to deal with that. Like I said we’ve had some temporary majors put in place, we want something more permanent that’s going to be an automatic thing whenever the power does go out an emergency generator kicks in and the power comes back instantly until the power is restored in the area.”

White said he expects the generator to be installed within the next 90 days. White said the department is anticipating the day the generator is installed.

“We are tickled to death to finally have that,” White said. “It means that we can make the responses we typically do.”