By Jacqueline Koch
The Chattanooga Times Free Press
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Two volunteer fire department chiefs said city officials misrepresented their units’ response times to make a stronger case for annexation.
“They have done nothing but slammed us and (Highway) 58 and Tri-Community to make us look bad,” said Dallas Bay Volunteer Fire Department Chief Marcus Fritts.
Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield and his administration contend the Chattanooga Fire Department can respond faster than volunteer departments, specifically the Dallas Bay, Highway 58 and Tri-Community departments.
A report offered by the city and attributed to the National Fire Incident Reporting System showed Dallas Bay’s average call response time was 10.17 minutes in 2008. The system collects data from individual departments to compile its report.
But Chief Fritts said he reported numbers that put the response time under 8 minutes for 2008. Last month, the average response time was 3 minutes and 50 seconds, he said.
The average response time listed for Tri-Community is 21.69 minutes.
No way, said Tri-Community Chief Duane Pitts, who said his department’s average response time in 2009 has been 7.06 minutes.
“Misinformed people can sometimes put out misinformation,” he said. “Everybody wants to be able to show their best side, and I think the city of Chattanooga has tried to do that. I don’t believe that his honor the mayor has any idea about who we are, what we do and how we do it at the Tri-Community fire department level.”
Chattanooga Fire Chief Randy Parker said an initial system report listed an incorrect Tri-Community self-reported response time, skewing the department’s average.
He said he thought he submitted the revised copy from NFIRS to the city attorney’s office for inclusion in the annexation documents.
The actual response time was 8.10 minutes, rather than 21.69 minutes, Chief Parker said.
The mayor, Chief Fritts said, has not asked him about his service area, the department’s equipment or its response times.
“We’ve been serving that area for 35 years, and we know that area. We know every street. We know every hydrant,” Chief Fritts said.
Mr. Littlefield has said that annexed areas will benefit with service from the Chattanooga Fire Department because they’ll see faster response times and improved safety ratings.
Known as a public protection classification, such ratings evaluate a municipality’s fire department, fire alarm and water supplies, said Mike Waters, vice president of Risk Decision Services at Insurance Services Office Inc., the company that evaluates the classifications.
Copyright 2009 Chattanooga Publishing Company