PHOTOS: Who would have thought a Boy Scout would come up with a way to save a Macomb County fire department time and money when it comes to drying firefighter personnel’s gear?
Julian Deschner, 16, partnered with his father, Mark, a lieutenant with the Roseville Fire Department, and a team of Oakland County Boy Scouts in building what’s known as a gear dryer for Roseville’s two fire stations. They borrowed the idea from other troops who had previously launched similar efforts.
Deschner, a Bloomfield Township resident who attends Lutheran High School Northwest in Rochester, oversaw the planning and construction of the contraption.
“A commercial dryer costs around $10,000,” the teen said. “We built ours for about $1,000. Plus we’re able to reduce the drying time it takes.”