December 20, 2019
By: Dwayne Page
Longtime DeKalb County Historian Tommy Webb has been remembered.
During Thursday night’s regular monthly meeting, the county commission adopted a resolution in honor of Webb, who passed away on October 29.
Seventh district commissioner Beth Pafford recently came to County Mayor Tim Stribling with the idea.
“This fall our county lost historian Mr. Tommy Webb. A life long resident, he had a keen interest in and love for the people of DeKalb County and channeled that into his work as county historian. He firmly believed that every person and every family had a unique story to tell and saw each story as an important part of what makes us DeKalb County and that’s why I felt it was important for us as a county commission to recognize and honor him. To honor his life and dedication to all that was and is DeKalb County, I ask that we adopt this resolution as a heartfelt token of appreciation for the life and legacy of Mr. Thomas Gray Webb,” said Pafford.
County Mayor Stribling then read the resolution.
“Whereas, Thomas Gray Webb departed this life on the 29th day of October, 2019, and Whereas, Tommy, as he was affectionately known by everyone, served as the county historian for fifty five years rendering services of greatest importance to the citizens of DeKalb County, and
Whereas, the DeKalb County Commission deems it fitting to recognize Mr. Webb as a gentleman of distinguished ability and highest integrity both as a teacher and historian.
Be it Resolved that the members of the DeKalb County Commission deeply deplore the loss of Tommy Webb and extend their sincere condolence to his widow and family in their bereavement and declare our conviction that by his manners, his habits, his genial spirit, his love of DeKalb County and the history of its people, and his reverence of God, Mr. Webb has left an example worthy of imitation.
Be it further resolved that this Resolution be spread upon the minutes of the DeKalb County Commission. Done this the 19th day of December, 2019.”
In other business, the DeKalb County and Alexandria Volunteer Fire Departments have renewed a partnership started five years ago to render specific firefighting services to each other as needed through an automatic aid agreement. The effort is meant to improve response times to fires, especially to residents in the county who are within five road miles of the Town of Alexandria’s Fire Department.
The Alexandria Mayor and Aldermen recently adopted the agreement and the DeKalb County Commission approved it Thursday night during the regular monthly meeting. The agreement is effective for five years starting January 1, 2020 .
Under the agreement, both the Alexandria and DeKalb County Volunteer Fire Departments will automatically respond to fires in the county that are within five miles of the Alexandria Fire Department and dispatched by the DeKalb County 911 Emergency Communications District.
The county already has in place mutual aid agreements with fire departments here and outside DeKalb County which call for them to assist each other with resources and manpower when needed. But this is an extension of the county’s first “automatic aid agreement” which was initially adopted five years ago .
“The significance of this is that in this five mile area, the City of Alexandria Fire Department will be dispatched out on the initial call of any fire that happens in that five mile area. The result of having this automatic aid agreement will allow us to have quicker response times to structure fires and to other types of fires that happen within that five mile area,” said Chief Donny Green, when the agreement was first approved.
The agreement also calls for the county fire department to automatically respond to structure fires inside Alexandria along with the Alexandria Fire Department. ” Alexandria realizes some benefits from this as it works both ways. We assist them on structure fires in the city limits of Alexandria. Under this automatic aid agreement we are called in initially as they are to assist with structure fires in their jurisdiction,” said Chief Green.
Each department maintains its own jurisdictional authority and if at any time either party wants to opt out of the agreement they may do so by giving a 30 day written notice. The agreement also includes compliance provisions which each party must adhere to including maintaining the proper training.