It is the long-term capital needs that concern Chief Stacy Coggins.

Coggins outlined his budget plan before city council today at the second work session that will help administrative staff come up with a financial roadmap for next fiscal year.

In his operating budget Coggins told council repairs need to be made to two showers at Station 2 off Highway 125 to stop leaks. “We want to repair the leaks to prevent mold problems.”

The fire department has already had one shower repaired at the station.

Coggins said the fire department learned the contractor didn't install a pan to keep the water from seeping through the tiling and the sheet rock. The warranty on the work has expired.

The biggest need for the fire department, however, will be in the next four to five years when the current self-contained breathing apparatus firefighters use will have to be taken out of service.

“Our current … SCBA are two (National Fire Protection Association) standards behind,” Coggins wrote in a memo explaining the situation. “They were purchased in 2004 with funding from the Assistance to Firefighters Grant which at that time met the 2002 standards.”

Coggins notes in the memo the current equipment is aging and starting to cost the department more for repairs. “The SCBAs we currently have are out of warranty and some of the parts are obsolete. To make proper repairs, the SCBAs have to be retrofitted, which ends up costing more for repairs.”

Since July 1, the fire department has spent roughly $4,500 on repairs to the air packs. The cylinders will have to be taken out of service within the next four to five years. “The face pieces which we use with these packs also do not meet the current standards and can't be used with the new packs,” the memo said. “The new packs would meet the current 2013 edition of NFPA … and would have longer end-of-service indicator warning, higher temperature face piece rating and, most of all, be under warranty for 10 years.”

The SCBA as a unit with cylinder and face piece costs $6,199; a spare cylinder $810 and a face piece $346.

Under a proposed first option, all the air packs would be replaced. That would be 25 air packs; 25 spare cylinders and seven face pieces to outfit the rest of the department at a total cost of $177,647.

A second option would spread the purchase of the equipment out over three fiscal years.

In the upcoming fiscal year Coggins proposes to buy nine air packs, 12 spare cylinders and 23 face pieces at a cost of $73,469.

In the 2016-2017 fiscal year, he proposes to buy eight SCBAs with cylinders and seven spare cylinders at a total of $52,494.

In the 2017-2018 fiscal year, he proposes to buy eight SCBAs with cylinders and six spare cylinders for a total of $51,684.

“The current air packs are coming up on being 10-years-old,” Coggins told council.

He said a grant application has been written for the purchase but he has received no word.

Pay study

Meanwhile, Coggins asked council for a pay study for firefighters.

“I feel like the guys with their training and expertise should be in line with the guys in the police department,” he said. “We're trying to get quality candidates.”

After training one firefighter last year, Coggins said, “We lost one last year to Rocky Mount. It's something to look at. I think the guys do a great job.”

The fire chief said the department's pay scale show minimum, medium and maximum levels. “We used to get a 5 percent raise if we did our jobs.”

Answering a question posed by Mayor Emery Doughtie, Coggins said police have a tendency to make more than firefighters.”

Firefighters put in 212 hours a month. “Most of our guys have part-time jobs.”

Councilman Wayne Smith asked if that was because firefighters were off three days a week at times.

Coggins said it depended on the firefighter.

“The reason the police department got raises was because of morale and there was grumbling amongst themselves. We're grateful for everything you do for the city.”

Smith asked if there was any active grumbling within the fire department to which Coggins replied there wasn't.

Councilwoman Carol Cowen said she believed the panel has to at least consider raises. “It's a false economy to pay people to go somewhere else.”

A pay comparison Coggins prepared for council showed the following for the Roanoke Rapids Fire Department and police department:

A firefighter is paid $28,933. A police officer is paid $33,429

A fire engineer is paid $31,949. A master police officer is paid $33,559.

A fire lieutenant is paid $35,246. A police sergeant is paid $37,035.

A fire battalion chief is paid $37,768. A police lieutenant is paid $40,895.

A fire assistant chief is paid $45,138. A police investigative captain is paid the same.

A deputy fire chief is paid $45,142. A deputy police chief is paid the same.

A fire chief is paid $57.764. A police chief is paid $60,703.