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EXPENSIVE SEATS DON'T SIT WELL
King George supervisor upset at the cost of new chairs in the firehouse
Date published: 6/25/2009
By CATHY DYSON Cedell Brooks Jr. was indignant that in these troubled times, a county employee paid $215 for a chair. The King George supervisor was at a recent work session at the King George Fire and Rescue headquarters on State Route 3 when he noticed new padded seats with arms on the sides and wheels on the bottom. He found out that Chief David Moody paid $13,000 for the 60 chairs in two training rooms. "That's ridiculous," said the Shiloh District supervisor. "That's really terrible in these tight times when they need new equipment and turnout gear, and they order a chair at $215 a piece." Brooks complained about the cost at a recent supervisors meeting. It was his turn to report on meetings he'd been to or issues that needed attention. No other supervisors commented on the chairs. But they had all been to the June 9 work session, when they noted the need for, among other things, a new ambulance, which will cost almost half a million dollars. The training rooms at the firehouse are used regularly by community groups, as well as for regional meetings of emergency service workers, Moody said. King George volunteers taking classes to become certified firefighters or rescue workers also sit in the chairs for hundreds of hours, Moody said. "In tough times, we rely on volunteers and their services, and they do it with no pay," Moody said. "If they're dedicated enough to come through these doors, the least we can do is put them in a comfortable chair." The new chairs replaced plastic, folding chairs, which were sent to the Fairview Beach firehouse. When the old Company 1 firehouse on Route 3 was expanded into 23,000 square feet of modern space--and dedicated in October 2007--funds were allotted for furnishing the $4 million building, Moody said. He ordered the new chairs in September 2008. That was before County Administrator Travis Quesenberry established stringent spending guidelines for the county and reviewed every new purchase. Moody also used part of a state grant to pay for the chairs, as well as speakers and projectors in the building. "You can look around and see that there's nothing extravagant here," Moody said. The seats he selected are called nesting chairs. They have padded backs and cushions, and the seats remove so the chairs can be stacked. The grade of fabric determines the cost, and Moody picked a grade two out of five. Online searches reveal that padded office chairs come in an array of styles and range from $50 to almost $500 each. Cathy Dyson: 540/374-5425
Date published: 6/25/2009
Seats arekey? Kudos? Shame?
(posted by
OldSalty
, June 27, 2009 5:13 am)
A firetruck loaded with 20 year old hose, some hose is actually 31 years old, turnout gear being worn that was purchased in 1989, firetrucks with tires that are in some cases over 11 years old with belts showing (1 fire engine has already crashed because of a tire blowout) But at least we got the chairs. That was the important thing right?
Shame Shame
(posted by
KGCitizen1
, June 26, 2009 2:53 pm)
After reading this article it appears that the board member has to much time on his hands. I agree "Kudos to the Chief" for looking out after the firefighters. As a resident of KG and of the Shiloh district I honestly feel that Mr. Brooks should spend his time supporting the fire dept instead of knit-picking. I also think he should re-think his re-election strategy. I too agree, the FLS should spend their time reporting "real" news.
Accountability
(posted by
KGTaxPayer
, June 26, 2009 7:35 am)
A comfortable chair is a good thing. There were 100 comfortable chairs purchased by the volunteers when that station was reopened after construction was complete. They suddenly can't be accounted for ??? They suddenly are no longer acceptable. They were transferred to Fairview Beach fire department. Really ?? There needs to be a time when accountability is also important. It was mentioned that volunteers sit in them for hundreds of hours. Where are the volunteers from. Mutual aid agencies ??
Kudos to the Chief
(posted by
vamomof2
, June 25, 2009 10:20 pm)
As a taxpayer n KG county, I applaud Mr Moody's decision to buy quality chairs that will provide a cost savings in the end. Good decision, and kudos to the chief...
As for Mr. Brooks, maybe he needs to go back to school and learn that buying new cheap chairs every two or three years is not a better deal that buying a more expensive set of chairs every ten years.
Now, why in the world would FLS even think of publishing trivial garbage such as this.
Seats are key
(posted by
OldFirefighter
, June 25, 2009 2:51 pm)
Ther is an old saying among Fire-Rescue instructors. To keep it clean, "the mind will only comprehend what the backside will endure." Training for emergency workers does involve a high percentage of practical work, but such subjects as Chemistry of Fire, Anatomy and Physiology, and many more involve long periods of classroom work. Quality seating is a MUST.
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