New equipment for fire department delayed

Due to supply chain issues, the delivery date for new equipment ordered for the Chelsea Fire & Rescue Department will be delayed.

Fire Chief Joe Lee said he has reached out to the vendors about the new trucks and found out the rescue truck won’t be ready until April and the newest fire truck for the department may not be delivered until early 2023. 

“I’ll keep my fingers crossed because we need those trucks,” Lee said. 

He said there has been an uptick in calls and the department has been busy the last few weeks.

Chelsea Fire & Rescue currently has two rescue trucks. Besides a few fire districts, they are the only municipality in Shelby County that transports.

“I give [former] chief [Wayne] Shirley credit for having the foresight to see that problem ahead of time and put those in play,” Lee said. “Our transports are the busiest trucks we have running and EMS makes up the vast majority of calls.” 

Lee said the department has some really awesome paramedics and he receives calls often for the work that they do.

Mayor Tony Picklesimer said that former mayor Earl Niven is the reason the department has the transports. 

“It was very important to him when he was in this chair, long before any of us were serving this city, that the decision was made that we would have this service and offer it in our city,” Picklesimer said.

During the mayor’s report, Picklesimer thanked the community for the support he has received after the recent death of his father. He also said he was proud of the way residents handled themselves during the public hearing the previous week. 

“Those television cameras were set up at Liberty Baptist Church to see all the cussin’ and the fussin',” Picklesimer said. “Thank you for the civil way that everyone presented their thoughts and ideas about the school system.”

Jane Ann Mueller from the Chelsea Community Center said that membership numbers are back up. As of Feb. 1, there were 1,688 members, and she said she’s encouraged by that. 

“We went down during Covid because people were not coming to the facility, but we’re back on the rise… and we’re glad to see the use of the building again,” Mueller said. 

She said things there have been busy with basketball season, signup for spring sports and the five homeschool groups that have been holding their meetings there each week. 

Mueller mentioned the next big event at the community center will be hosting the city’s annual Fire At The Foothills barbecue competition on April 2. 

The only item on the meeting agenda was to pay the city’s bills.

Dates to remember

Feb. 15: Business license renewal deadline

Feb 15: Council meeting 6 p.m.

Feb. 21: City Hall closed for President’s Day

Feb. 25-27: Severe weather preparedness sales tax holiday 

Feb. 26: Celebrate Arbor Day at the Weldon Pavilion

Feb. 26: Kiwanis pancake breakfast at Chelsea Community Center 

Feb. 28: Chelsea Planning Commission, 6 p.m.

March 1: Council meeting 6 p.m.

March 15: Council meeting 6 p.m.