Emergency Services Score with Public Relations Effort

During last week’s Pine Mountain Council meeting, the police chief and fire chief noted extensive involvement in public relations.

In reporting to the council, Police Chief Chris Nance highlighted a partnership with Adventure Bags, Inc. to provide care packages for children experiencing difficult situations. Nance explained that Adventure Bags is a non-profit organization located in Barrow County with the bags containing “overnight essentials” and “comfort items” for children displaced from their families, find themselves in a homeless situation, or victims of severe trauma. The bags provide immediate care and resources pending involvement by the Georgia Department of Family and Children Services. Nance said that over 60,000 Adventure Bags were distributed to children across all of Georgia’s 159 counties.

Nance also reported on assisting with a Tri-City group that hosted a marathon in Pine Mountain, providing increased safety for the participants. He attended the biannual Child Protocol Committee meeting where he shared the town’s juvenile ordinance in an effort to assist with truancy concerns.

Issues with some large tractor-trailers continue to be a problem and Nance noted participating in an online forum with the Coalition Against Bigger Trucks, an advocacy group promoting “highway safety and responsible transportation policies.” Nance shared an ordinance recently adopted by the town concerning large commercial trucks and learned about proposed legislation that would reduce the allowable weight limit for log trucks.

FIRE Chief Stephen Duke noted participating in a recent Touch-A-Truck event at Callaway Gardens, a Flag Ceremony conducted at Fort Benning, the recent festival in Pine Mountain, and participated in the Wheels of Fire motorcycle tour helping raise funds for the fire science program at Harris County High School.

Duke reported on a continuing Firefighter 1 training class along with an Air Monitoring class and Driver Training and Ladder Truck deployment program.

Both the police and fire departments hosted visitations from Noah’s Ark preschool, Lafayette Christian School, and a homeschool cooperative. They also participated in softball game commemorating the 250th birthday of the United States.

During the meeting, the council approved closing a section of McDougald Avenue for the Pine Mountain Fire Baptist Church Fall Festival scheduled for Saturday. Council members also approved making the intersections of Plumfield and Parkway, and Williams and Harris streets as four-way stops.