| Recent accidents put spotlight on Troy fire department rules |
By: Donna Ryder Messenger Associate Editor
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Posted: Tuesday, February 2, 2010 9:01 pm
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| By DONNA RYDER Associate Editor Troy’s fire department may soon have new rules to follow. Mayor Jimmie Hart said incidents outside the city limits this week and last year have made him come to the conclusion that the fire department needs rules and regulations about who can drive the trucks. “It needs to be a trained, responsible person,” he said. Hart was referring to an accident on Sunday where the department had responded to a house fire on Faith Road off Campground Road. The driver of the fire truck apparently backed into a vehicle on the scene. The town now has a $1,295 repair bill to pay. Hart said he spoke to the driver of the fire truck and he said he was unaware he hit anything. Fire Chief Mark Watson said another firefighter witnessed the accident and there is no question it was Troy’s truck which hit the parked vehicle. Watson said the department does certify its drivers. He suggested the town could purchase a rear camera for the truck. The town’s newest truck is equipped with such a camera. “We need to sit down and talk about truck driving safety,” the mayor said, adding the rules may be written or oral, but there need to be rules about getting to the fire and what to do once on the scene. Hart referenced a fire call in 2009 where the fire truck was hit by a propelled exploded tank. He suggested the truck may not have been hit if it had not been parked as close to the fire as it was. Watson said what it “boils down to is people should have spotters. Fortunately, it’s not been a bad problem. One was unavoidable and the other was avoidable.” In fire department news, Watson said the fire chiefs and mayors met with representatives of the Municipal Technical Advisory Service about the county-wide fire protection plan. He said several issues were questioned, including the cities equally sharing the money which is collected through a subscription plan and the clause in which the county wants to be held harmless. “Basically, what the agreement status is, is the county has no liability,” he said. “You don’t get to make that decision, a judge does.” Watson said the chiefs and mayors suggested MTAS officials meet with County Technical Assistance Service officials to work on those and other issues concerning the plan. MTAS officials said they could not initiate such action, so the request has been forwarded to Obion County Mayor Benny McGuire. Watson said he hopes the plan will be ready for review by the county’s budget committee in March and will then be forwarded to the full commission. “It’s slowly inching along,” he said of the process. Hart added it looks as though the city’s liability will be greater than before. In other business, the board: • Received a thank-you card from the Ed Watson family for their kindness during his recent death and a personal thank-you from Hart, who recently had gall bladder surgery. • Heard the building which housed The Wedding Chapel is now vacant, but the mayor has someone who is interested in it. • Learned the city has moved a ditch and utilities in preparation for a new grocery store building. The back parking lot for the building has also been white rocked and packed down. Hart said it looks as though some of the materials for the new building are in as well, but he has not yet received the full set of plans from the contractor. He said he must receive the plans before the building can be built. • Heard from Hart that Police Chief James Cleek is pleased with the job new officer Garrett Grady is doing. • Voted to purchase a plaque in Ed Watson’s name in recognition of his many years of service. • Learned the police officers have had Taser® gun training. • Heard the city will receive a $561,000 grant to help pay for utility relocation for Interstate-69. Hart said some property has already been purchased. The utilities have to be moved by October. • Received a suggestion from alderman Gene Gurien that property be purchased to fix a problem intersection on Polk Road. Associate Editor Donna Ryder can be contacted by e-mail at dryder@ucmessenger.com. Published in The Messenger 2.2.10 |
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