Oak Ridge Today

AC chancellor intervenes in Andersonville Fire Dept. squabble

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Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department

Information from WYSH Radio

Earlier this month, Anderson County Chancellor Nichole Cantrell made a ruling in the dispute between two factions of the Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department.

Earlier this year, then-AVFD Chief Del Kennedy suspended the Board of Directors over allegations that they were interfering in the day-to-day operations of the department.

Kennedy then appointed an interim board to oversee the department. That led to the department’s mail delivery service being interrupted and its bank accounts being frozen over questions about who was authorized to use it.

The chairman of the suspended board, David Farmer, asked the Chancery Court to step in. On September 4, Chancellor Cantrell ruled in favor of the suspended board following a hearing that morning. That meant that the board consisting of Farmer, Carl Poore, Robert Seiber, Benny Ridenour, Judy Lenz, Gina Ridenour, John Poore, and Rodney Williams was reinstated. [Read more…]

AC Commission meeting wrap-up

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Information from WYSH Radio

The Anderson County Commission met for the first time since January on Monday night and voted unanimously to release the $20,000 in funding that had been held back from the Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department and place them back in the rotation (beginning next year) for county purchase of a new fire truck after the department abandoned its controversial and wildly unpopular subscription program and returned to all-volunteer status.

Commissioner Phil Warfield said that the department “went above and beyond what Commission asked of them” as far as making things right with county leaders and more importantly the citizens they serve.

Commissioners were also introduced to the new fire chief, Del Kennedy. [Read more…]

No one injured, but three briefly trapped by factory roof collapse

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Pharma Packaging Roof Collapse

The factory roof at Pharma Packaging in Andersonville collapsed on Saturday night. Three workers were briefly trapped, but no one was injured.

 

Note: This story was last updated at 10:47 p.m.

ANDERSONVILLE—No one was injured, but three workers were briefly trapped when a roof collapsed at a factory in Andersonville on Saturday, possibly because of ice and snow buildup, authorities said.

The roof collapse was reported at about 7:40 p.m. Saturday. Seven people were inside the Carton Service/Pharma Packaging building on First Quality Drive at the time, said Del Kennedy, chief of the Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department.

Four workers were able to make it out, and firefighters had to help the other three escape from a break room, near the front of the building, at the edge of the factory space behind it. All the workers were in or near the break room at the time of the collapse, Kennedy said.

He estimated that 50 percent of the roof, which was about 40 feet above the factory floor, had collapsed over that portion of the building. There was only a small crew working at the time, Kennedy said. [Read more…]