In Ref Rehobeth Fire - Rescue and Taylor Fire: Houston County Sheriff 911 - Houston County Commission

Rickey Stokes

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Posted by: RStokes
[email protected]
334-790-1729
Date: Nov 21 2016 8:20 AM

HOUSTON COUNTY:   This weekend I wrote a article concerning the response Saturday night to a motor vehicle accident on Highway 605 and Battles Road. The article was very critical of the response and lack thereof of the agencies.

REHOBETH FIRE - RESCUE

Rehobeth Fire - Rescue are on their third Fire Chief in 2016. The current Fire Chief is Todd Phillips. He also serves as a Dothan Fireman.

Todd became concerned several years ago over some issues he had heard concerning Rehobeth Fire - Rescue. He started coming to the meetings sitting quietly and listening. He joined as a volunteer member.

Todd lives in the Rehobeth Community so the succcess/failure of the Reobeth Fire - Rescue has direct impact on his families safety.

Two months ago when the Fire Chief resigned Todd became the Fire Chief. Like the Chief before him he came into a mess. Todd is working, along with others in the department, to get the department on the right path.

This past Saturday night Todd was working at Dothan Fire Department. His primary living. So he was not involved in the call. Some things were dropped and those issues are being addressed. But I am convinced based on calls several months ago, based on knowing Todd Phillips, his character and dedication, that given time Todd will have Rehobeth Fire - Rescue up to par and clicking on all cylinders.

Rehobeth has some good people. But again, funding is limited and they are volunteer. Which means just like Saturday night, the full time job comes first. A way of life and society today has a limited availability of employers which will allow their employees to take time off and volunteer. 

REHOBETH RESCUE

Until recently it was always thought that Rehobeth Rescue was  seperate entity. I had been asked to attend a meetings over some controversy between fire and rescue and who was in charge.

I researched the Alabama Secretary of State's Office and learned that Rehobeth Fire and Rehobeth Rescue were one and the same entity. They were not different entities, yet one entity.

That was communicated to the former Fire Chief and Rescue Captain. Informing the Captain that the position held was under the Fire Chief. The operation of the Rescue was subject to the Fire Chief command.

That did not set well. And I am not going to call the Rescue Captain out by name because I feel they all have the same goal, just power struggles.

It was the ultimate responsibility of the Rescue Captain to notify (1) Houston County Sheriff 911 and (2) Pilcher Ambulance if they were not going to have crews available to respond. Yes the Fire Chief is overall in charge, but the Rescue Captain took over that division and it was that person's responsibility.

That did not happen and did not happen on Sunday. And I am sure that Todd Phillips, Rehobeth Fire Chief, is going to address and straighten that issue out.

And the Rehobeth Fire - Rescue members who support the Rescue Captain over the Fire Chief. You need to support the Fire Chief, yield to his direction and command, and get focused. Stop the power struggle and stop the support of the Rescue Captain over the Chief.

If you will do so then things will begin to click on the right cylinders.

The Rehobeth Mayor and Town Council, while the Fire - Rescue are not the Town's but governed themselves, have stepped up to the plate to support Fire Chief Todd Phillips. That support needs to continue. I am convinced Saturday was a major hiccup and Todd will fix.

But the membership needs to pledge their loyalty and support to Todd.

TAYLOR FIRE

Exactly why Taylor did not answer up I do not know. I think later they might have answered after the initial burst of the incident.

But when you take the responsibility of the being a volunteer, because this type of service is dealing with lives and property.

I am looking into Taylor, the make up and response.

HOUSTON COUNTY SHERIFF 911 CENTER

They never release a call. In comparison between Dothan 911 and Sheriff 911, Dothan has a call, hits the ring down, announces the call and the station responsible gets into the truck and rolls.

Houston County Sheriff 911 pages out the department. Waits for a response. When no response they page the second time. Some may answer, multiple may answer. One says they are responding to the scene, some to the station, one bringing a fire unit one bringing the ambulance. 

 A medical call, after two pages and no response the Sheriff 911 Center then dispatches the backup, Pilcher's. And after Pilcher's is rolling then the volunteers might then say "oh we can respond". Then a conflict begins.

So the Sheriff 911 Center is often faced with issues and never really releases a call. But Saturday night there were errors when Dothan Fire was called and Rehobeth never answered.

Being a 911 Center Communications person is not a easy task. It is a demanding task that you have to multi task multiple issues at once. 

When the issues of this rose and some FB comments some were, as I expected, shooting the messenger, me. Let me say, I dispatched in the 1977's forward. When there were no computers for directions, no fire hyrdrants in the county, maps on the wall you had to read in order to direct responding units to. No, I have not dispatched using the 911 technology. But I have handled major operations, multiple operations, firing all at one time when you were there alone. So I have walked in the shoes of a dispatcher.

So when I do write a article it is not as if I have never been involved. I also served several terms as President of Houston County Rescue.

So I know how things operate.

HOUSTON COUNTY COMMISSION

They have been told and warned. More than 4 years ago they were told and warned. There are issues and issues in other parts of the county.

The solutions are simple and the Emergency Management Director needs to take the reigns to the issue and "guide" the Houston County Volunteer Fire - Rescue into the solutions. 

Mark Sterling Culver has spent to much time in his private t-shirt business and other private endeavors to get things in order. He allowed Dothan - Houston County Emergency Management to get out of control and not get plans developed to solve the fire - rescue issues.

Some information Mark he has kept the commission in the dark on. 

And the process of selecting a new Dothan - Houston County Emergency Management Director is set on the path of a disaster if they go out of town. And the commissioners have so far snubbed their noses to the local men and women who are fully capable of doing the job.

Mark Sterling Culver needs to decide, does he want to the the full time Commisson Chairman or in all of these other businesses. Because so far he is not taking care of business as he should.

Chairman of the county commission is a full time paying job. 

I have a passion for emergency services. Was raised in it since 1977. I have a passion for working to save people's lives. And I get very irritated when the system does not work as suppose to.

SHOOT THE MESSENGER

Several are mad with the messenger, me, for pointing this out. 

My church had a building program. The pastor placed a chair on the pulpit reminding everyone the chair was a representative the building program was "for the ones who are not here yet".

My pointing out the issues "are for the emergencies that have not happened yet".

Sorry that you do not like the messenger. But please listen to the message.

THANKS to each  and every person who is a volunteer. You get hassled and do it for free. And although some think that I do not appreciate it, they are wrong. I have volunteered. And most of the time you just get kicked about it.

So nothing is meant to try and demean you. But it is meant to build fires under the leadership, under the 5 Houston County Commissioners. They have failed you.

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