By Randall Higgins
The Chattanooga Times Free Press
CLEVELAND, Tenn. — Bradley County commissioners are looking for a way to speed up expanding the county fire department.
The commission’s Finance Committee meets at 5 p.m. today to crunch budget numbers and seek a way to fund new stations, equipment and personnel.
On Monday the Cleveland City Council rejected a county proposal to gradually phase out city fire service in the most-populated county areas around the city limits. The current contract, which brings in $1.8 million annually to the Cleveland Fire Department, ends in 11 months with no new contract in sight.
County commissioners are scheduled to vote Monday whether to finally end the city/county fire service relationship, a position that some commissioners consistently have supported.
“I think we need to make the decision now for us to go our separate ways,” Commissioner Ben Atchley said at a work session this week.
But that means the county must be ready to take over protection in the urban fringe in less than a year. The county has two fully staffed fire stations and relies on volunteers in rural areas.
The county needs to consider budget numbers “the sooner, the better,” Commissioner Howard Thompson said.
Monday’s agenda also includes a resolution stating only the county can authorize primary ambulance service in all of Bradley County.
“This is something the EMS Board has been working on for several months,” Commissioner Louie Alford said.
On Monday the City Council asked the city staff to come up with a business plan in 90 days on establishing its own independent ambulance service. Revenue from the service could offset at least some of the loss from the fire contract, city officials said.
As the city and county each looked to the possibility of separate fire and ambulance services, county Emergency Medical Service Director Danny Lawson made a plea for unity.
“We’ve served everyone equally,” Mr. Lawson said of the current ambulance service. And the department offers one of the state’s best emergency medical services, he said.
“We could have put it all together without fences,” he said.
Emergency services, he said, should be above politics.
“We should stand taller than that,” he said.
Copyright 2009 Chattanooga Publishing Company