fofr906
Joined: 07/01/2007
Posts: 12
Location: Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia
Occupation: Career & Volunteer Firefighter
Bio:
33 yr old male married with 4 children, 17 yrs in the fire service. Own a grounds maintenance company. Currently finishing an Associates Degree in Fire Science at West Ga Tech.

Recent Comments by fofr906
Catoosa fire meeting heats up
05/07/2008 09:51:24 PM
County finally made a good decision...............
Catoosa fire meeting heats up
05/06/2008 09:30:26 AM
I'm sorry that was incorrect, the correct number is 11,808 including the City of Fort Oglethorpe but excluding commercial. This info was gathered by using the Tax/GIS software on the Counties website and hand counting by street. You can't go by the census because the demographics are fluid they change constantly.
Catoosa fire meeting heats up
05/05/2008 11:04:09 PM
We all enjoy a good debate, and there is alot to debate. But as deadlines come and go only time will tell the true impact these decisions will have on the citizens. There is still time for the County to do the right thing. POST will be fine, those guys will be very disappointed to lose area it has serviced for over 50 years, but hey every great thing must come to an end.

The Mack Smith Road and the Boynton fire stations WILL remain open to service the City of Fort Oglethorpe and anyone else who it is called upon to help. To the 10,000 + households serviced in the County by FO/POST, Godspeed
Catoosa fire meeting heats up
05/04/2008 05:26:12 PM
catvoter im inpressed, you know a little bit. Just enough to be confused. Noone has suggested that the City of FO lead anything. Without POST the City has nothing. The POST is the Volunteers. The County owns 1 truck on this side of the County and that is a ladder truck bought from SPLOST in 1998. That is it. The City own a few assets and POST VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT INC. owns the rest.

You have to remember, even though the land mass serviced by FO/POST is definately smaller, it containes half the Counties population and over half the tax base.

You need to understand what a 3/9 is, the 9 is for only those area outside 5 road miles from a fire station or outside 1000 feet from a fire hydrant unless a department can prove to ISO that it 1) carries enough water on the first assignment of apparatus to maintain a constant water source or 2) carry enough large supply hose to make up the 1000 feet. The catch there is every fire pumper in the County must be equiped the same. More to it than just the 911 center, fire trucks, paid firemen and water pressure.
https://secure.sos.state.ga.us/mylicense%20weblookup/docs/2005_1673_rph017332_001.pdf
http://www.newschannel9.com/articles/gass_2186___article.html/county_fire.html

Check out the links above.
Catoosa fire meeting heats up
05/02/2008 09:23:28 PM
Clark is just doing what he thinks right, only thing I can say is atleast this commission is trying to follow through. Not according to any of the studies, but anyway. What this whole thing boils down to is that FO/POST is not willing to lower its standards when the County should be wanting to bring the rest of the County up instead of bringing Boynton, Westside, Lakeview and Duncan Park down and then try to bring them up even. It's not going to happen.

Money has nothing to do with anything except that the money that the County was paying FortO and POST for the service that is being provided is a bargin. The Volunteers do not care if they get a dime or not, they don't do it for the money and it is an insult to every Volunteer in the Country (about 750,000) to insinuate such.

Look this County has some great firefighters and Fire Officers and has some great potential. But to take the County fire service to the next level it takes a visionary leader with the skill set to manage and lead in a modern fire service. When you need an electrician you don't call a plumber.
Catoosa fire meeting heats up
05/02/2008 04:24:43 PM
SPLOST funds can only be used for capital purchases such as buildings, vehicles, equipment, water & sewer etc. Salaries will have to come from raised taxes. May 15 the County will lose 70 + Volunteers that currently service the West side of the County. Boy, that sure seems like making things better to me......
Catoosa fire meeting heats up
05/02/2008 09:43:24 AM
I'm proud to see someone smart enough to investigate for themselves. FO/POST hasn't said that the rating will change immediatly, beause you are right, ISO will have to come back. What everyone does not realize and what isomitigation.com is very vague about is that May 16th when POST sends the letter to ISO advising them that they no longer service these areas, ISO will come back on thier own without being requested because there has been a change in service provider.

Catvoter if you have documentation of the Counties PLAN please post it so we all are aware. Improving the service for the whole County is a great idea, the problem is the County has NO ONE who knows how to plan, organize, implement and evaluate the work and process to lower the ISO rating. You just don't hire a few people and buy a few trucks wave a magic wand and POW lower rating.

Thae fact is, if they did the Counties current rating would not be 18 YEARS OLD.

Good Day.........
Catoosa fire meeting heats up
04/30/2008 10:15:24 PM
Consolidation is not the issue, the lack of an equitable plan is the problem. POST said from the beginning that consolidation was the way it should go. POST was ask to go under the Counties Purchase Order system, that was agreed to, then was told that was just the first step. Sure it is the first step but the County doesn't have a clue what the next step is suppose to be.

The Consolidation Committee was set up to fail from the beginning, Don't get me wrong, Mr. Hill is a good man but he was not strong enough to chair that committee. When Mr. Gass started pitching his temper tantrums he should have been ask to leave. The County has been using smoke and mirrors the whole time about the ISO issue. They keep listening to the wrong people as they have for the last 15+ years.

FO/POST Officials have offered numerous times to assist the County in preparing for an ISO inspection. Makes sense, they lowered thiers. Common sense would tell someone to retain the help of the people who have the knowledge and experience. But nope, they don't contribute to the election funds or bully and intimidate people, so they are rejected.

POST told the Commissioners you want a Countywide service, great when are you hiring the Career County Fire Chief with the education and credentials to lead a service into the future? Still no answer and still no agreement. Citizens don't take it from the paper, the news, this soundoff, your buddy or your neighbor who thinks they know something. Investigate yourself. Call your insurance company and ask them the price difference from a Class 3 to a Class 5. All you over on Farming Rock and the surrounding areas, that are more than 5 miles from the closest County fire station guess what??? Class 9. Most insurance companies wouldn't even insure you if they knew the truth.

May 15th D DAY, Boynton, Duncan Park, Lakeview, Westside. No more ISO Class 3, Post has come to the table many times to negotiate with the County but POST can't meet thier adjenda. The County has current plans to throw up a tempoary (carport) next to the Westside voting presinct to place a fire truck and house the firefighters in the voting presinct itsself. The County has already ask the school not to schedule anymore functions there and the others who were scheduled, they were cancelled. Guess where the firefighters are coming from?? Station 3 from Hwy 41. Station 3 will be Volunteer again. They have no plan and noone capable of developing one. And POST will not lower its standards just to put a couple feathers in a Commissioners hat.

It is a shame that the citizens will have to pay the price for the arrogance of a few.
Firefighters criticize Catoosa County advertising for full-time fire chief
07/22/2007 10:23:04 PM
rbrown, you apparently do not live in Catoosa County. I assure you anything close to what you describe is rare to say the least.
Firefighters criticize Catoosa County advertising for full-time fire chief
07/22/2007 08:25:52 AM
rbrown, thanks for adding your comments to a long list of others who don't have a clue. Houses can burn to the ground regardless if your protected by a career or volunteer service. I am both and I have seen more structures burn to the ground where I work than I have in Catoosa, Walker or Hamilton counties. I agree that the County needs to move toward a career fire service, however, you do not pay enough taxes. A fully staffed career fire department in Catoosa County would cost the tax payers 6-7 million a year. That is about 5 mills added to your current tax rate. The volunteers do have a voice and it will be heard, but the only complaining going on is about the lack of communication. No department is without its faults. We can only strive to be perfect. But we are human.