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They
were not happy when they learned the
Jimmy Keith memorial at Station #1 would
have to be moved to make way for the
Franklin Street roundabout at Elm
Avenue, but Tuesday night the Wake
Forest Fire Department directors decided
they needed a lawyer and a talk with
Deputy Town Manager Roe O’Donnell to
make sure they can use both driveways to
turn in both directions and drive down
the renovated Franklin Street without
tree limbs knocking the mirrors off the
fire trucks.
The directors continued
Tuesday night’s meeting until Wednesday,
May 2, to meet with O’Donnell.
“We need to have access
anyway we need access,” Randy Bright
said about the lack of a break in the
median on Franklin in the construction
drawings the fire board saw.
Given that the 4 acres on
Forestville Road were annexed and
rezoning application has gone to the
town, the board set up a committee to
look for a $1 million line of credit.
James Holding said they could look
outside local banks. Years ago, for an
equipment purchase, a bank near
Asheville was able to give them an
interest rate local banks could not
touch.
Richard Stinnett asked
Commissioner Frank Drake, the town
board’s liaison, about a possible impact
fee.
Drake said he intends to
advocate for an impact fee on all future
residential and perhaps commercial and
industrial property, money to help build
fire stations and purchase equipment.
One of his considerations is when to
introduce the idea, before or after the
November election. There will be at
least one new board member in
Commissioner Stephen Barrington’s seat.
Commissioners Velma Boyd-Lawson and
David Camacho have not said whether they
intend to seek another term.
Chief Jerry Swift said the
state fire marshal’s office could give
Drake information about fire impact fees
in other towns.
Last Friday’s fish fry was
such an overwhelming success they ran
out of fish about 6:15 that night and
had to turn away 200 to 300 people who
were in line. Altogether the firemen
sold just shy of 3,000 plates, and the
auxiliary made $1,200 from the bake
sale.
Swift gave a blow-by-blow
account of the rescue in the Orchard
Oriole Trail on March 29. “He’s the
first one who lived” of the people he
has saved from fires, Swift said.
James McGilvary was given a
2% chance of survival by doctors at the
Jaycee Burn Center, but after a week and
a half he was released. He did not have
any burns, but he did have extensive
lung damage from the thick smoke.
The rescue efforts by Swift
and Rolesville firefighter Jacob Butler
were hampered by a door that kept
shutting by itself. Butler dragged
McGilvary into a closet at one point,
thinking it was the hall, Swift said,
and the two had great difficulties
locating the door.
“We’ve had a very good
month,” Swift said.
The department has been
running as many as 15 to 20 calls a day.
The number of calls is over 700 for the
year. Last year the department answered
2,200 calls. “We’re getting to where
we’re answering multiple calls” at the
same time, Swift said. Lately the calls
have been grass fires, wrecks and
medical calls. There have been some
false alarms from schools, and Swift
said some were done maliciously by
students.
Morale is high, and
firefighter teams are competing with
each other in weekly training exercises
that are so popular firemen from Stony
Hill have come to participate.
Swift said he went by Six
Sundays in Spring on Sunday. “I think we
need to have a truck out there just in
case something happens.”
A brush truck to replace an
old one will be delivered Monday. This
was funded by the county and the fire
department’s only expense was $74 for
some extra mirrors. |
