Dawson County news. (Dawsonville, Georgia) 2015-current, December 12, 2018, Image 6

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Dawson County news., December 12, 2018, Image 6

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Newspaper Page Text6A I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I dawsonnews.com Wednesday, December 12,2018 The decision for the staff not to attend Dawson County training comes on the heels of a dispute about the role of the volunteers at Station 8, a feud that escalated last month after a home on Burnt Mountain Road in the Wildcat Community was destroyed by fire and Station 8, the closest station, was not called out to assist. FROM 1A Firefighters resignation signed by 11 of the other members from Station 8. The one volunteer who attended the Dec. 4 train ing did not sign the letter. Attempts to reach Tarantini prior to press time were unsuccessful. Dawson County released a statement Dec. 10 that Dawson County Emergency Services con tinues to provide fire and medical coverage to the Wildcat Community despite the uncertainty. “In no way do the recent resignations of Station 8 volunteer support person nel members affect the ISO rating for this community, nor does it decrease the level of service provided,” the statement reads. “Dawson County Emergency Services con tinues to work closely with Pickens County, and both departments demonstrated this commitment over the weekend during the winter weather event.” Headley said Friday morning that Pickens County has not communi cated to Dawson County officials yet on if they wish to withdraw from the IGA. The agreement is automati cally renewed each year unless 180 days of written notice is provided by either party. “Whether Pickens wants to go ahead and take the station over, staff it, it’s up to them, but until then the only thing we have to go by is the IGA,” Headley said. Pickens County Commission Chairman Rob Jones said Monday that he had not spoken with Dawson County offi cials and had no plans to disrupt the IGA. He also stated that any implication that he directed the volunteers not to attend training in Dawson County is a lie and that the volun teers are welcome to train in whatever county they wish, as everyone goes by the same reference book from the state of Georgia. “They are not paid, they are volunteers,” he said. “They are a highly intelli gent group of people and if they want to train in Pickens, that’s their discre tion. If they want to train in Dawson, that’s their discre tion. . ..it’s not a problem if one day they go to Pickens, one day they go to Dawson County.” Jones intimated that the IGA should be a flexible document, and said that Pickens County trained a lot of Dawson County fire fighters and volunteers in the past and that the cur rent fire truck at the station was not paid for just out of Dawson County funds, though the IGA states Dawson County “shall pro vide the fire apparatus.” “I know policies change and faces change,” he said. “We’ve worked together since 2008 and I don’t know what the issue is maybe other than people feel they got their toes stepped on.” The decision for the staff not to attend Dawson County training comes on the heels of a dispute about the role of the volunteers at Station 8, a feud that esca lated last month after a home on Burnt Mountain Road in the Wildcat Community was destroyed by fire and Station 8, the closest station, was not called out to assist. The Wildcat Community was organized in 2006 with the goal of establishing emergency services for the more than 700 homes in the Burnt Mountain area. The group raised funds to estab lish Station 8 and purchase a new fire engine. Members of the commu nity were concerned with the long response time, the fact that Station 8 was not called out and the transfer of 911 calls between Dawson and Pickens coun ties. Headley called a town hall meeting to address the concerns of residents in the Wildcat Community, and the meeting ultimately took place Nov. 17 at Station 8. In attendance from Dawson County were Headley and Thompson, as well as District 1 Commissioner Sharon Fausett, Sheriff Jeff Johnson and E-91 1 Director Aleisha Rucker- Wright. Clayton Preble, presi dent of the Wildcat Community, presided over the meeting, with many other homeowners in atten- dance. Representing Pickens County were Jones and EMS Director Sloan Elrod. Tarantini was the spokesman for Station 8. Thompson and Rucker- Wright explained to the gathered crowd that due to limitations and an over sight in the county’s aging computer aided dispatch system, Station 8 was not among the three stations dispatched after the home- owner called 911, even though it was the closest station to the home. Thompson also explained that even had the station responded, due to their status as support staff, they would only have been able to lay hose and prep for firefighters to arrive and could not have saved the house. “As unfortunate as it may be, the outcome would have been the same, even if Station 8 was dis patched, because those per sonnel are not certified to participate in suppression activities,” Thompson said Dec. 5. In a video of the meeting published on YouTube, res idents seemed surprised that support staff are not allowed to actively fight fire. “For years they have, for whatever reason, whether Dawson County allowed it, or whether they took it upon themselves, but they were engaging in firefight ing activity,” Headley said Friday. “So when we found that out, we said no more, that we will conduct a training class, we will get you certified, and comply with what the state code allows us to do.” Thompson said he became aware that the vol unteers had been fighting fire over the summer after a car fire on Monument Road, where some of the same Dawson County vol unteers responded wearing street clothes to put the flames out. A complaint from other personnel about policy violations sparked a discussion about the role of the volunteers up at Station 8, and Thompson facilitat ed training and gear for as many of the volunteers who wanted to train to become certified to fight live fire. Emails as early as September of this year show Thompson working to get fingerprints and clothing sizes for seven volunteers from Station 8 who wanted to be trained, and a date for the first class was set in late November. After the town hall meet ing at Station 8, the train ing was delayed a week, until Tarantini made it clear the volunteers would be attending a Pickens training course. In a September email Tarantini had asked Thompson if the volun teers could continue to fight fires as they had been with water from the out side, something he appar ently asked again when meeting with Thompson on Dec. 6. Thompson wrote in a Dec. 6 email that he agreed in part to the proposal, and would allow those that had signed up for the training and had been issued gear to flow water from outside the hot zone. “At the end of the day he didn’t want to give up his Lieutenant bars,” Thompson wrote. Some have suggested that part of the discord lies in a water tank that Dawson County promised to deliver to the station but have not. At the Nov. 17 meeting, after discussion over the fire and the role of the volunteers dissipated, the conversation turned to the water tank, though Thompson said that the water tank currently up at the station was not deplet ed during the November house fire. The current 45,000 gal lon water tank located at Station 8 was previously the top part of a water tank located on Elliott Family Parkway in Dawson County. Dawson County spent more than $22,000 to move that tank up to the Burnt Mountain station when the station was first built. Headley explained Friday that a rough esti mate of $10,000 to move the second half of the tank up to the station was pro- vided by former Emergency Services Chief Lanier Swafford, but when he and Thompson began looking into the project in May, they received esti mates more in the range of $50-60,000. The county put the proj ect out to bid but received no bids and after exploring other options, none of which panned out, the BOC voted in September to give the tank to Pickens County for them to move. Pickens had in February spent $20,000 pouring a concrete slab for the tank to rest on, and according to Preble, had been reim bursed $10,000 for the expense. When asked if he was disappointed about the tank, Jones said he wasn’t but that he wished Dawson County had communicated they wouldn’t be providing the tank. “With the previous administration we still worked on a handshake and a person’s word,” he said. “I had confidence their word would be their bond or I wouldn’t have poured the slab. I feel like we’re still responsible for the individuals no matter what community they’re a part of.” Headley said Friday he thought that the discussion about the fire and Station 8 not responding was being used as leverage in the water tank issue. “I think it was an avenue that they chose to shame Dawson County into set ting this up as a project, setting a budget aside, and getting that water tank up there,” Headley said. “I think it’s unfortunate and I’m actually just stunned that we’re in this position that we’re at.” Thompson said he val ues the need for water sup pression in both counties and that he will continue to make the citizens on Burnt Mountain as much a priori ty as citizens everywhere else. “I’m committed to those citizens in that communi ty,” Thompson said Monday. “Whatever I can do within budgetary con straints, I will do it.” HOBBY LOBBY FIND A LOCATION NEAR YOU OR SHOP ONLINE AT HOBBYLOBBY.COM STORE HOURS: 9 A.M. - 8 P.M. • CLOSED SUNDAY Christmas is what you make it HOME DECOR 50i >% I OFF Mirrors, Clocks & Decorative Crosses Wall and table Candle Holders Wall and table Wood Decor Wood wall decor and finished decorative wood accessories Does not include furniture or unfinished craft wood Decorative Lanterns, Birdcages & Terrariums Categories Listed Does not include Seasonal Department Knobs, Pulls, Handles, Hooks & Decorative Hardware Ceramic Decor Tabletop decor, salt & pepper, plates, serving dishes, pitchers and cups Framed, Canvas and Adhesive Vinyl Wall Art Glass Decor Glass Department, floral glass vases and craft glass containers Does not include craft stained glass Metal Decor Metal wall decor, functional & decorative metal accessories (Includes metal containers in our Floral & Grafts Departments) Does not include furniture Men’s Metal, Wood, Resin & Ceramic Decor Wall and table Decorative Memo Boards, Chalkboards & Corkboards Priced $24.99 & Up Polyresin & Pottery Decor Finials, candle holders, boxes, bowls, floral planters and vases Candles, LED Candles, Fragrance Cubes & Warmers, Potpourri & Diffusers Priced $2.99 & Up Does not include oils or “Your Price” items New Year’s and items labeled The Spring Shop are not included in Home Decor sale. 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