BOC votes to add fire manpower

The Barrow County Board of Commissioners took action Tuesday night to resolve a manpower shortage at Barrow County Emergency Services.

And for the second time this year, the commissioners voted to mothball an ambulance that has a welding problem that reportedly could pose safety risks to both emergency personnel and to patients.

Both actions were taken on unanimous votes that circumvented the leadership of commission Chairman Danny Yearwood, who has been accused of micromanaging the department and ordering the defective ambulance back into service after the BOC had voted for it to be sold.

Leading the board’s charge was commissioner Steve Worley, who said it isn’t the commissioners’ or chairman’s job to supersede the authority of department managers.

“It’s not our job to micromanage any department,” he said. “It’s not the chairman’s job to micromanage any department.
“It is our job to oversee those departments, to make sure they have what they need and make sure it’s going the way it’s supposed to go. Department (managers) are hired to run these departments.

“If we’re going to micromanage, we don’t need department heads. And if department heads can’t do the job they were hired to do, they need to step down.”

Comments

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#1 Fireman on 11/25/09 at 08:54 PM [Reply]

Bout time someone stood up to the plate and put Yearwood in his place.

#1.1 Hummmm on 11/27/09 at 02:36 PM [Reply]

A bit of grandstanding by Mr. Worley - a common practice of his. But I am in agreement we need to be sure to have our fire safety personnel SAFE. Glad to see ALL the commissioners vote to make it so.

#1.1.1 Anonymous on 11/28/09 at 05:31 PM [Reply]

You call it grandstanding - I call it taking the ball and running with it.

#1.2 JUST ME on 11/30/09 at 11:18 AM [Reply]

I THINK YEARWOOD,WORLEY,BERRY, AND BEN H.

SHOULD BE REMOVED AS "SO CALLED LEADERS" FROM BARROW COUNTY GOVERNMENT

#2 Go Worley on 11/25/09 at 11:43 PM [Reply]

Good job Steve. The way this article reads, you all but told the Kommissioner to sit down, shut up and stop meddling. He's proven the only thing he's good at is angering employees and running of dedicated personnel.

#3 Anonymous on 11/26/09 at 06:39 AM [Reply]

Worley is the only one on the board who has any sense.

And yes, he pretty much did tell the Kommissioner(s) to sit down, shut up and stop meddling. He actually runs the meetings which I find amusing. Yearwood just sits there like the lump on the log he is.

I find it interesting, they were going to put an ambulance with stress fractures back into service AFTER they had voted to surplus it and sell it. They had to vote AGAIN to sell this ambulance. Maybe this time, it will actually be taken out of service and sold.

As for the fire tax, the 1st to balk at the thought of re-instituting where the three that did away with it in the beginning; you know the three from prior administrations who are up for re-election next year. They need to go. Time for new blood.

#3.1 Anonymous on 11/27/09 at 05:27 PM [Reply]

A tax is a tax, who cares what it is called. A joke to try and place public safety on a seperate tax structure. Public hearings and notices will still be required if they were to try and raise the fire tax rate. What happens when the only thing supporting the fire department is a fire tax. It is subuject to the same exemptions and once the fire millage is maxed, no additional funds will be available. The general fund millage rate doesn't have a cap so funding would be available if our commissioners care about service.

#3.1.1 Anonymous on 11/28/09 at 03:14 PM [Reply]

When there was a fire tax, there was a SURPLUS of funds in the fire budget. At the time, the fire tax was done away with, there was over $200,000 that was rolled into the general budget. Speaks for itself.

#3.1.1.1 Anonymous on 11/29/09 at 11:34 AM [Reply]

At the time of the fire tax the department was not operating with 4 man stations, was not buying new trucks or equipment and the amount of funds generated from the maxed rate will not be sufficient to fund the department as the employees are suggesting it should be.

#4 Anonymous on 11/30/09 at 01:16 PM [Reply]

wont do any good if we don't get rid of Yearwood and his midgets.

#4.1 anonymoous 3.2 on 12/07/09 at 02:06 PM [Reply]

danny yearwood is doing a great job with what he came into if he would have continued on the same path as the previous administration we would be in a lot of trouble and then all of you would be crying about how much taxes had to be raised to pay for way to much government.

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BOC votes to add fire manpower

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BOC votes to add fire manpower

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