Mickey McCamish
photo by Claire Henley Miller
The Chattanooga City Council passed a resolution Tuesday allowing city employees to accept support from organizations and agencies seeking to help individuals who sustained injuries or trauma from the Chattanooga shooting on July 16, 2015.
According to City Attorney Wade Hinton, the current code does not allow city employees to receive compensation for injuries or trauma incurred during their role. However, because the July 16 incident - which left four Marines and one Navy officer dead - made for an extremely rare occasion, Attorney Hinton proposed to let city employees receive remuneration for injuries or trauma suffered from that event.
The resolution only pertains to the July 16 attack.
Speaking in support of the resolution at Tuesday’s work session, Mickey McCamish, a retired U.S. Navy captain, said he has spent the last several months on a fundraising committee. The committee has been working with the National Compassion Fund to raise and distribute donations for victims of the shooting.
“The events of July 16 were horrific,” he said to councilmembers.
Captain McCamish went on to say an outpouring of city compassion and support came as the result of the shooting. The city appointed the fundraising committee to aid victims who might be eligible for support.
“We were all proud to work together,” Captain McCamish said after introducing some of the committee members.
Any first responder who was on the scene the day of the shooting is eligible to apply for funding, the former captain said. However, the family members of the terrorist are not allowed to apply.
“In the military we may be prepared for war…but when we’re sitting behind a desk, we’re not prepared for the attack that did happen.”
The donations from the National Compassion Fund have already been distributed to victims, as well as those most impacted psychologically by the attack.
Kelly Cotton, a member of the fundraising committee, said the funds are important because they serve as a “validation of experience for first responders.”
Robert C. Crates, a retired rear admiral and co-chairman of the fundraising committee, said if the council did not pass this resolution, it would be up to it to figure out how to get the funds back from those who have already received them.
During the work session, Councilman Yusuf Hakeem asked if the city would be tearing departments apart by allowing additional compensation for the July 16 tragedy, since the city, through its insurance, provided assistance.
Captain McCamish answered that a group of experts made the decision on what counted as trauma, making these funds different because they relied on expertise. He said a level of award should be given to those who responded to the terrible shooting.
Admiral Crates said he knew up front there was a larger group of victims than people who were killed. The city, police department, or FBI reportedly interviewed eligible victims from the psychological standpoint to determine if their trauma qualified them for funding.
Admiral Crates stated it took both national experts and local knowledge to determine who should be considered for funds from the “universe of victims.”
All of the money collected reportedly went to the victims.
Councilman Russell Gilbert said every day police go out in harm’s way. Yet this scenario differed because it dealt with terrorism.
Though Councilman Chip Henderson thought it was ethical for the injured and traumatized individuals to receive compensation, he said, “I can see this possibly being abused.”
In response to this, during the voting session Attorney Hinton recommended having a cutoff date for individuals to apply for funding. He proposed the date of July 16, 2017. Councilman Henderson moved to make this an amendment to the resolution. Once that was approved, he motioned to approve the resolution with the cutoff date.
Council members voted 8-1 in favor of the resolution, with Councilman Larry Grohn opposed.