Baxter will consider the purchase of a new radio communication system after Fire Chief Matthew White made the request during Thursday night’s Aldermen meeting.
The council authorized White to secure bids for a system. White said the Fire Department’s current system is old and causes him safety concerns.
“We’ve got to do something,” White said. “I’ve got 15 firemen that don’t have any type of communication, no portal, no nothing. So, if they went in a house fire, they wouldn’t have any communication with anybody, which is not acceptable.”
White said he has tried to replace the radio system in the past but has been unsuccessful.
“I’ve asked 911 communication, they have not given us any radios in years,” White said. “It’s probably been eight or ten years, and they are not doing it anymore, and will not do it. I’ve been to their meetings and asked them, so I’m not sure what else to do except ask for this. I’ve tried every other way I can.”
White said currently, some firefighters are using an app on their cell phones for communication. However, White said the app does have its flaws.
“We kind of tried to phase out the paging system throughout the years because the app has kind of taken over that,” White said. “It’s helped with that, and once again, unless they figure out a way to do that out and send out a cancellation, which we have not been able to do, they have no way to know that we aren’t going there anymore, or they don’t need you. So we need to figure out some kind of communication. We wouldn’t send out a police officer to do his job without a radio, we shouldn’t send a firefighter out without one.”
White said he usually has about eight to ten firefighters who respond to a fire.
In other business, a resolution was passed to allow Fire and Police employees to receive overtime pay.
New rental agreements were approved for the Visitor Center and the Amphitheater. The new rates will be $100 for four hours of use.
The aldermen approved to increase the speed limit from 20mph to 30mph on 1st Avenue near the Dollar General Market.
The aldermen approved to purchase chemicals for the city’s Sanitation Department.
The Baxter Planning Commission approved a final site plan for a Domino’s. The Domino’s will be located on Fast Lane between Taco Bell and NAPA Auto Parts. The building will not have a dine-in area.
The planning commission also approved a final subdivision plat for a property on Dale Mires Lane and Gainesboro Highway. The variance was reducing the width of two lots by five feet.
