On behalf of the Board for Mowbray Volunteer Fire Department, I want to extend our sincere appreciation for bringing our new hall one step closer to reality. As the mayor said, this process had been in the works for an extended period, two years or more.
Building and planning for a new fire hall is an extensive and sometimes exhausting process. To answer one commissioner's question, there’s no cookie-cutter process layout or one size fits all. When we first started this process I had a similar view, “Hey, shouldn’t these things be cookie-cutter?” There’s not city blocks in the rural parts of Hamilton County, and each district has individual needs with different apparatuses and equipment required to meet those needs. The chief and the rest of the design committee poured over every little detail like furniture layout, but here’s the key, at no charge. That’s right, unlike a school board spending a million dollars on a search committee, the mayor and Chairman Fairbanks made a committee of people that would be using it. The architects were a huge help as well.
To better serve our community, we’ve had our members taking shifts at the hall, that’s not designed to do that. This has meant that members who volunteer their time haven’t had adequate sleeping quarters, but we’ve done the best we could. Now we can do better, and the community benefits. And best of all, without being exposed to mold.
Our department is proud of the service we provide our community. Under the Leadership of Chief Weddington, we have moved from an ISO of 9, all the way down to ISO of 4. We fully expect to be an ISO of 3 by the next rating, to answer Commissioner Martin’s question. This is an astounding feat when you look at the budget we’ve had up until this most recent.
Unfortunately, in today’s world, people believe that politicians rarely keep their word. Here’s what I know to be a fact, Chairman Fairbanks and County Mayor Coppinger keep their word. They assured us that we’d get a new hall, and today it became a reality. Ask anyone; this wasn’t an exception either. They always do, or go down swinging.
James Berry
Mowbray Volunteer Fire Department Board Member