DeKalb Fire Department receives Elite Training Award for 15th Consecutive Year

August 29, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

The DeKalb County Fire Department received special recognition during Monday night’s County Commission meeting from the Tennessee Fire Service and Codes Enforcement Training Academy to commemorate the unit having been named, for the 15th consecutive year, as an “Elite” Training Department in Tennessee.

Director Jason Sparks presented the award to the DeKalb Fire Department’s outgoing training officer Captain Brian Williams and the incoming officer Luke Green to accept on behalf of the department and DeKalb County.

“Every year we recognize departments across the state. This year, the DeKalb County Fire Department accumulated a total of 1,373 contact hours for training with the Tennessee Fire and Codes Academy,” said Sparks in presenting the award.

According to Sparks, having achieved this level of training is no small accomplishment.

“I have been involved in the fire service for a long time. I am a volunteer fire chief myself in White County. I travel all across this state and see the issue with lack of volunteers every day. It is no small thing to have the number of firefighters that Chief Green and DeKalb County have and to accumulate the kind of hours they did this year in training is remarkable. Just the amount of training they did was a big number, not to mention all the calls they responded to and ways they help their community so I am proud to make this presentation,” said Sparks.

DeKalb Fire Chief Donny Green, who introduced Sparks to the County Mayor and County Commission during Monday night’s meeting said since this was the department’s 15th consecutive year in earning this “Elite” Training award, he wanted to share the good news by having it presented at this forum.

“I wanted to share with you this milestone we have reached in DeKalb County. For the 15th consecutive year, we have been recognized by the Tennessee Fire Service and Codes Enforcement Training Academy as an elite training department in Tennessee,” said Chief Green. “I wanted to share that with you tonight because you (county commission and county mayor) are part of the team that makes this happen along with the citizens and our partners in the county as well as our firefighters who unselfishly take their time especially on weekends, and when they get off work in the afternoons to sit through classes, and of course we appreciate the families of our firefighters who give up their time and sacrifice,” said Chief Green.

A prepared news release by Chief Green states that the DeKalb County Volunteer Fire Department has ranked #5 among volunteer and combination fire departments in the state of Tennessee for 2022-2023 training achievement. Of the 732 fire departments in Tennessee, both volunteer and career, the DeKalb County Fire Department ranked # 44 for 2022-2023 training achievement.

This is the 15th consecutive year DeKalb County Fire Department has been recognized as one of Tennessee’s elite fire departments for outstanding training achievement. This year, the department logged 1,373 training hours at the state fire academy and was recognized as a Gold Level fire department in Tennessee for 2022-2023.

DeKalb County Mayor Matt Adcock commended the department’s members and leaders for continuing to make DeKalb County Volunteer Fire Department’s training program a legacy of excellence. “Our county takes great pride in the level of commitment and service that we continue to see year after year from our firefighters who work hard and train hard to make sure our citizens have good fire department services here in DeKalb County.

Getting this kind of statewide recognition for the 15th consecutive year makes it very clear that we have an excellent group of committed men and women who sacrifice many hours to be prepared to respond to the emergency needs of our citizens,” says Mayor Adcock.

Chief Donny Green said he wants to personally commend Captain Brian Williams and Luke Green, the department’s training officers, for their leadership, planning and coordination of the department’s training activities in a manner that consistently spotlights our training program as one of top in the state, volunteer and career. The Tennessee Fire Service and Codes Enforcement Academy provides excellent training programs delivered by professional and knowledgeable campus and field instructors. In addition to the 1,373 hours at the Academy, our training officers coordinated 1,853.87 hours of in “in-house” training. Chief Green says that without the support of County Mayor Matt Adcock, the County Commission, the families of our volunteer firefighters, our community and business partners, and the citizens of DeKalb County, the department could not have achieved this milestone. “Properly trained firefighters are the best tools available to any fire department. Without proper training, the best and most expensive equipment is useless. However, good training coupled with good equipment is priceless,” says Chief Green. Training performance and documentation are core elements in the Insurance Services Office’s (ISO) property protection that determine how much property owner’s have to pay in homeowners insurance premiums.

The DeKalb County Fire Department’s proven commitment to training and emergency response has resulted in a dramatic improvement to DeKalb County’s Public Protection Classification Rating.

If you are interested in learning more about the DeKalb County Volunteer Fire Department, or would like information on how to be a member of our team, you can visit the Department’s website at: www.dekalbfire.com, or call 615-464-7176. You can also visit the Department’s Facebook group page.

August 29, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

The DeKalb County Commission Monday night adopted a resolution recognizing Administrator of Elections Dennis Stanley on his fourteen years of service to the county in that position. Stanley is stepping down in a few days to begin retirement.

The resolution as follows was read during the meeting by the Chairman of the DeKalb County Election Commission, Brandon Gay.

“A Resolution to recognize Dennis Stanley on the occasion of his retirement.

“Whereas, it is appropriate that we should honor those citizens of DeKalb County who have performed with uncommon devotion and enthusiasm throughout their years of service; and

Whereas, Dennis Stanley is one such estimable person, who has taken his much-deserved retirement after more than fourteen years of service as the DeKalb County Administrator of Elections, and;

Whereas, Mr. Stanley served honorably by leading his office in conducting free and fair elections in DeKalb County, including numerous local, state, and federal elections, and through the challenging times of the COVID Public Health Emergency, and;

Whereas, during his time as Administrator of Elections, Mr. Stanley was committed to improving technology in the elections process, by understanding the importance of cyber security, purchasing poll pads for electronic voter sign-in on election day, routinely updating office computers, and overseeing the recent purchase of new voting machines, and;

Whereas, an active and important part of his profession, Mr. Stanley served two separate two year terms on the legislative Committee of the Tennessee Association of County Election Officials (TACEO). He also twice served as the Middle Tennessee (TACEO) Vice President and attended numerous seminars and conducted media relations training for other Administrators of Elections, and;

Whereas, Mr. Stanley became a Certified Administrator of Elections in August 2009, and;

Whereas, Mr. Stanley previously worked for the Smithville Review, and had been a consistent voice on WJLE Radio for years, and;

Whereas, Mr. Stanley enjoys the companionship of his wife, Donna; and is the proud father of one son, Daniel, and two stepdaughters, Cissie and Christie.

Whereas, Dennis Stanley exemplifies the spirit and allegiance to family and community that are characteristic of a true Tennessean, and;

Whereas, throughout his estimable career as DeKalb County Administrator of Elections, Dennis Stanley demonstrated the utmost professionalism, ability, and integrity, earning the respect and admiration of his colleagues and his community, and;

Now, therefore, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE DEKALB COUNTY COMMISSION that we extend to Dennis Stanley our heartfelt wishes for a happy and fulfilling retirement and every continued success in his future endeavors”.

August 28, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

Proponents of new regulations to keep landowners in DeKalb County from creating health and safety concerns for their neighbors suffered a setback Monday night as the county commission voted 8-6 to remove the issue from the agenda. Proposed standards may be revised or revisited by the commission in a later workshop or perhaps by the government services committee from where the proposals originated, or they may not resurface at all in the foreseeable future.

(VIEW THE ACTUAL RESOLUTION AT LINK BELOW)

Resolution County powers Act

During the regular monthly meeting Monday night, the commission was expected to consider passage of a resolution adopting the State’s “County Powers Act” which authorizes a county to enact a resolution establishing, in this case, regulatory standards regarding health and safety conditions of residential and non-residential properties within the confines of DeKalb County outside the boundaries of the municipalities which already have codes and ordinances. In order to establish the health and safety regulations, the commission must first adopt a County Powers Act resolution.

The Government Services Committee of the County Commission met last Tuesday night and voted to recommend passage of both resolutions to the full commission. A two thirds vote of the 14-member commission was required had the commission voted to pass either or both resolutions.

The commissioners were clearly divided on whether the county should move forward on this controversial issue and a large public gathering attended Monday night’s meeting with differing views and a keen interest in how the commission would act.

The concept of the resolutions was to primarily address neighbor complaints of dangerous and or unsanitary conditions on private properties next to them caused by overgrown vegetation, accumulation of debris, trash, litter, and garbage, or the presence of vacant dilapidated buildings or structures.

Had both resolutions been approved, a five-member hearing board with staggered terms (consisting of county commissioners) would have been established as well as an enforcement officer position, all appointed by the county mayor with the concurrence of the full commission. DeKalb County’s Safety Officer, which is a paid position and already established, would most likely have been assigned to take on this new Enforcement Officer responsibility along with his regular duties. When a resident filed a complaint, the enforcement officer would have investigated and if he found a violation, he would have been required to notify the landowner in person or by certified mail. The property owner would then have had 30 days to remedy the issue or request a hearing before the hearing board which would have had to meet and act within 30 days. If the board were to uphold the enforcement officer’s findings, the violator would have been fined $50 per day per occurrence. Violators could also have been taken to General Sessions Court if they didn’t comply.

The hearing board would also have had the authority to recruit or coordinate efforts of community organizations, neighbors, religious institutions, and or other agencies to provide assistance to persons not financially or physically able to comply on their own with the requirements of these regulations.

At the beginning of each monthly meeting, one of the commission’s first actions is to adopt the agenda for the night and then proceed to discuss and take action on each issue on the agenda. Normally the agenda is approved without dissent but not this time.

Commissioner Myron Rhody, who is opposed to these proposed regulations, made a motion Monday night to remove from the agenda consideration of both the “County Powers Act” resolution and the resolution governing the “Health and Safety” standards for residential and non-residential properties. Rhody’s thinking was that by taking the issue off the agenda, it would effectively kill it. “I just want to remove it and be done with it,” said Rhody. Others insisted that the issue might still be resurrected at some later meeting.

Commissioner Tom Chandler, who is also opposed to establishing these regulations, initially offered a second to Rhody’s motion but later withdrew his second, preferring instead to let the resolutions come to the floor for a vote where they were apparently doomed to fail without the needed two thirds support of the full commission for passage. “I would rather be part of a commission that said no to this than be part of a commission that kicks it down the road or part of a commission that’s party to enacting this and unleashing the enforcement,” said Chandler. That was the view of several others on the commission, like Tim Reynolds and Glynn Merriman who were among the six who voted against Rhody’s motion after it ultimately received a second from Commissioner Tony (Cully) Culwell.

“Do we really want to kick this can down the road and push it back to a committee again because we will be back in the same boat again later. We all know that. We are just wasting time kicking it back to a committee,” said Commissioner Reynolds who added “After raising taxes on folks this year, I have a real problem with us potentially telling them what they can and can’t do and I am not going to,” he said.

Commissioner Chandler, who recently returned from a trip, said constituents have been very vocal with him about their feelings on this issue.

“My phone has been going crazy, text messages, emails, not a single one supports either one of these resolutions,” said Chandler. “The (public) input I have gotten is not only “no” but a hard “no” and that’s not the “H” word they used. Not a single person wants to see the landscaping and property beautification (enforcement officer) coming around telling them what they can and cannot put in their front yard. We should kill this and put this to bed. If this were to pass in my opinion this would cause a fury of controversy like this county has not seen in a long time. I’m prepared to kill this, “said Commissioner Chandler.

Commissioner Larry Green, a supporter of the regulations, said a lot of misinformation has spread throughout the community in recent days about the proposed health and safety standards and many who do understand them are in favor.

“We had a group of people here Thursday night (during a county commission workshop) who were overwhelmingly in favor of this. The phone calls I got Thursday, Friday, and Saturday were all in favor of it. The phone calls I got today (Monday) were totally negative. I think a lot of misinformation has been put out there about it. Tom (Chandler) just referred to some misinformation about it. It is not about landscaping. Its not about beautification. It’s about health and safety. So let’s just refer it back to committee and clean up some things some of you don’t agree with,” said Commissioner Green.

“I don’t think there is any misinformation in what I said,” Chandler replied. “I looked at the second resolution and its pretty clear the enforcement officer with his five-person committee can determine what you can and cannot have in your front yard. That is the interpretation people have of this and that is why they are opposed to it,” Chandler continued.

Commissioner Tony Luna, another supporter of the standards, said the public view of this proposal is not all negative.

“I have had the opposite of what Tom has had,” said Luna. “I have had multiple calls and emails from people who are for this. I do think it needs to be fine-tuned but I think it’s a good idea that needs to be worked on,” he added.

Commissioner Justin Adcock is vehemently opposed to the standards and said he believes outsiders moving into DeKalb County around the lake are the ones making the strongest push for this.

“From the phone calls I have got, its the people who live on the lake in my district who want it. The farmers don’t want it. Its mainly people around the lake. I even had people from Holmes Creek calling me. Its everybody around the lake that has a problem with this. They want it cleaned up. They need to go back to Nashville,” said Commissioner Adcock.

Commissioner Luna said that he has not had the same public response as Commissioner Adcock.

“The majority of the people who called me (who support this) do not live on the lake. They live close to the lake but live here full time,” said Luna.

Commissioner Chandler said he believes the County Powers Act and the health and safety standards that follow could cause problems for landowners, not only now, but also in the future should later county commissions add to the regulations.

“This opens a Pandora’s Box”, said Commissioner Chandler. “That box is closed at the moment. If we open that box now we’re going to be the ones tagged as having opened it for other commissions later. I know people came to this commission recently who had issues with a neighbor that had a bunch of trash in their yard. I sympathize with those people and I would like to be able to prevent that but it appears we cannot do that without opening this Pandora’s Box and once you do, it also opens it up to not just stopping trash but possibly from stopping me from parking my old blue tractor in my front yard as a symbol of the loved one I’ve lost,” said Chandler.

County Mayor Matt Adcock reminded the commissioners that while county commissions, now or later could make changes by either adding to or removing regulations outlined in the proposed health and safety resolution, it could not change the County Powers Act because it was enacted by the Tennessee Legislature for all counties who wish to adopt it.

Commissioner Greg Matthews asked if the issue could be put before the voters to let them decide in the form of a referendum next year during the elections.

“I don’t think we can do that,” answered County Mayor Adcock.

“So that decision has to be made by 14 people (county commission) for everyone in the county,” asked Commissioner Matthews.

“I think it would be fine for our commission to talk about this again at our next workshop. That’s what our workshops are for to discuss what we want to do with certain topics and whether they get on the agenda or not at the formal meetings,” added County Mayor Adcock.

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