Aarons InsuranceAdvantage SuitesAdventures Off RoadBaker Agency InsuranceBank of Frankewing
Chapman Tire
Crockett CinemasCut N UpD.E. Hill & SonsDiamond Pools & SpasDixon's Fine JewelryDustin's Lawn CareEnergy Smart SolutionsFancy Pants First Class Charter Fox Sporting GoodsGreens Furniture The Hidden Garden Hood Flora Realty J & G Tire Center
Kelly Appliance & Vacuum
Lawrenceburg Federal Bank
Lawrenceburg Florist Lawrenceburg Glass Lynn Electronics
The Mad Hatter's PartyMarkus Insurance Mckelvey's Flowers Mo's Pawn Nature's Nuggets Nerd's Computer RepairOne Stop Medical Pettus Turnbo Funeral Home Randy's Cycle & ATVRent Right Rick's ElectricalSeven Springs OrthoSterling VaporSue Sue's Sandwich ShopSummit of LawrenceburgSwap and Shop Center True Value HardwareWall-Modrall Insurance

 

APPLIANCE REPAIR

Kelly Appliance & Vacuum 931-244-7200

AIR CONDITIONING

D.E. Hill & Son 762-9584

ASSISTED LIVING

The Summit of Lawrenceburg
Summit of Lawrenceburg 762-3524

 

AUTO REPAIR

Chapman Tire 931-829-2155
J & G Tire Center 931-762-0078

 

BANKS

Bank of Frankewing
Bank of Frankewing 762-6800
Lawrenceburg Federal Bank 931-762-7571

 

CINEMAS

Crockett Cinemas 931-762-6821

 

CLINICS

One Stop Medical
One Stop Medical 762-9797
Seven Springs Orthopaedics 244-7181

 

COMPUTER REPAIR

Nerd's Computer Repair

DAY SPA

The Hidden Garden 762-9799

ELECTRICAL & PLUMBING

Rick's Electrical & Plumbing 931-242-5325

 

ELECTRONICS

Lynn Electronics 762-0401

E CIGARETTES

Sterling Vapor 931-231-5422

FLORIST

Lawrenceburg Florist 762-3722
McKelvey's Flowers 762-4511

FUNERAL HOMES

Pettus-Turnbo Funeral Home 762-3291

FURNITURE

Green's Furniture
Swap & Shop Center

GLASS REPAIR

Lawrenceburg Glass 766-1004

 

HARDWARE

True Value Hardware
True Value Hardware 762-7516

HOBBY

Adventure Off Road 852-5445

INSURANCE

Aarons Insurance 931-629-8065
Baker Agency 762-4550
Markus Insurance 762-9401
Wall-Modrall Insurance 762-6528

JEWELRY

Dixon's Fine Jewelry 762-9979

 

LAWN CARE

Dustin's Lawncare
Dustin's Lawn Care 242-4414

MEDICAL

Seven Springs Orthopaedics 244-7181

NATURAL FOODSNature's Nuggests 762-2895

OUTDOOR

Randy's Cycle & ATV 762-2450

PARTY / SUPPLIES

The Mad Hatter's Party Wonderland

The Mad Hatter's Party Wonderland 931-244-7222

 

PAWN

Mo's Pawn Shop 762-2529

POOLS/ SUPPLIES

Diamond Pools & Spas 762-7189

REAL ESTATE

Hood Flora Realty
Hood-Flora Realty 762-4247

 

RENTAL

Rent Right
Rent Right 762-8187

RESTAURANTS

Sue Sue's Sandwich Shop
Sue Sue's Sandwich Shop 762-8879

SPORTING GOODS
Fox Sporting Goods 931-766-0313

 

TRAVEL

First Class Charter
First Class Charter 762-5778

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Volunteer Fire Departments: Neighbors Helping neighbors

Last week’s report on Lawrence County’s Emergency Medical Service leads us to others that respond in times of need: our 13 Volunteer Fire Departments.

There’s no greater example of this community’s caring spirit than the 240 men and women who give their time and money to these agencies. Lawrence County government is proud to support their efforts, which are vital for the safety – and pocketbooks – of local residents.

Even though “fire” is their middle name, our volunteer fire departments handle much more:

Twelve of the 13 have vehicle extrication equipment (‘jaws of life’) and training to assist during serious auto accidents.

Gandy, Ethridge, and New Prospect are able to respond in their areas to high-priority emergency medical calls, right along with Lawrence County EMS. Those departments have enough Emergency Medical Technicians, Paramedics, and Emergency Medical Responders among their volunteers to respond to calls involving a possible stroke, CPR in progress, or major trauma. Summertown Volunteer Fire Department is getting ready to host the county’s third class for Emergency Medical Responders, so even more will be qualified to help during medical emergencies.

When storms strike, volunteer firemen clear fallen trees, deliver generators, and even transport health care personnel to work over icy roads. Lawrence County’s weather is mild – except when it’s not – and these volunteers are ready to act in the aftermath.

Two 20-member teams are trained as high-angle and swift water response teams. The swift water response team trained on the Hiwassee and Ocoee (site of 1996 Olympic white water events) so they can perform rescues on flooded Lawrence County streams. The high-angle team has been instrumental in rescues in the West Point and Iron City areas.

Have a cat in a tree? Yes, volunteer fire departments have responded to those calls as well. They have also removed horses from sinkholes, dogs from drain tiles and snakes from houses.

Volunteers also perform fire-prevention activities like distributing and installing smoke detectors. They are integral parts of their communities, helping schools, community clubs, and individuals in countless ways.

What does all this cost Lawrence County government? Last year’s contribution equaled approximately $20,000 per department, or about half their annual budgets. Volunteer fire departments have fixed expenses including $7,000 in state-required workers comp insurance alone; vehicle and property insurance; property taxes, utilities, solid waste fees; and land-line telephones (again, state-required) at their stations.

Each department also pays annual dues to the Tennessee Association of Rescue Squads for liability litigation, and a licensure fee to the state as part of the Fire Department Recognition Act. These expenses come out before any equipment, vehicle or training costs are covered, said Tyler McDow, vice-president of the county’s Fire and Rescue Association and Chief of the New Prospect Volunteer Fire Department.

Volunteers help pay for their equipment, and an individual’s basic “turn out gear” costs about $4,000, McDow said. With the help of a federal grant, New Prospect firefighters are getting new Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (air packs) that help them breathe inside smoke-filled buildings, at a cost of about $6,000 each. New and better firefighting and rescue equipment is always being developed, and local fire departments invest in it when they can.

The biggest pieces of equipment, of course, are fire trucks. Each station has at least one pumper truck, tanker, rescue pumper, and brush truck to fight large grass fires. All vehicles and fire pumps must pass an annual inspection, and fees for those are covered by individual departments. Vehicles used to respond to medical calls must all pass inspection through Lawrence County EMS. Fundraisers help departments make payments for large acquisitions, but volunteers personally sign the loan papers for them.

Fire departments also swallow the cost of mechanical breakdowns. Repairs are never cheap, McDow said, and usually cost thousands. New Prospect’s fire department has spent $7,000 for repairs on one truck this year, and just yesterday discovered a problem with another that will cost $1,500.

We can all be assured that volunteer fire departments are manned by highly-trained personnel. A 16-hour in-house course is required for firefighters to reach an apprentice/observer status. Local departments host state fire instructors who teach an additional 64-hour course; volunteers travel to the state fire academy in Bell Buckle for a 28-hour “live burn” class. All 108 hours are required to qualify for interior firefighting, McDow said.

Volunteers also complete a 40-hour class in vehicle extrication, and recertify with two hours of emergency vehicle operations training each year. More annual training deals with firefighting alone; emergency medical licensed volunteers complete about 24 hours of continuing education to maintain that certification.

Almost all live fire training takes place at the state facility in Bell Buckle, McDow said. Individual departments try to cover class fees, and volunteers usually pay for travel and lodging themselves. They also pay, he added, with time spent away from home, family, and work.

Now, to your pocketbook. The Insurance Standards Office evaluates every fire department in the nation based on their assets, training, equipment and response times. From this and other factors like water availability they assign an ISO rating that most insurance companies use to set house insurance premiums. Local homeowners pay an average of 35% less, thanks to our volunteer fire departments.

I want to personally thank members of the Centerpoint, Crawfish Valley, Crossroads, Ethridge, Gandy, Iron City, Henryville, Leoma, West End, New Prospect, Southeast, Summertown and West Point Volunteer Fire Departments for their service to the people of this county. Please remember to support their fundraising efforts and join me as a positive voice for them in the community.


 


 


Lawrenceburg Glass


Lawrenceburg Now
Hood Flora Realty Seven Springs Ortho Lawrenceburg Federal Bank
D.E. Hill & Sons
Mike Wilburn at Barr Nissan Cut N Up Hair SalonGreen's Furniture StoreOne Stop Medical