| and training center is available to our other
emergency agencies and community groups for meetings.
We'll share it with any of those who would be interested
in using it. The sheriff's department uses it and our
medical first responders have used the training
facility. We have two nice training rooms, one upstairs
and one downstairs, so we can have two separate meetings
going on at the same time. That all results in better
training for our department and other emergency agencies
and better service to the people out in the communities
of DeKalb County. It means so much for our training
program in DeKalb County. Chief Green says members of
the department volunteered their time and talents to
help renovate the facility. "This renovation has been
about an eight month effort, beginning in early January
and we've been putting some of the finishing touches on
it this week in preparation for the open house. All the
labor has been done by our volunteers. We've had a few
things like the central heat and air and electrical
services that was contracted but all the building and
interior frame work was built by our volunteer fire
fighters. We've got a lot of skilled people on our
department that have some good construction skills.
We've been able to save the county a lot of money by
doing this work by ourselves instead of having to hire
it done. We appreciate County Mayor Mike Foster and the
county commission for helping and supporting us in this
renovation project. We also want to recognize State
Senator Mae Beavers for her contribution in helping us
acquire this piece of property that used to be the State
Highway Department, the TDOT building. We actually got a
deed to the property a little over a year ago. After
that, we started planning this renovation project."
During Saturday's ceremony, Chief Green read from a
special tribute to Senator Beavers. "Each person who
walks through this remarkable facility should always
remember Senator Mae Beavers as a very special person
who has committed her service in Tennessee's 17th
Senatorial District by keeping her constituents' safety
and well-being her top priority."
"In 2002, Senator Beavers received DeKalb County Fire
Department's highest honor by being selected as an
Honorary Lifetime Member. Her leadership in state
government and in our communities has been an
inspiration to all, and an example for others to lead
by."
"Today, DeKalb County Fire Department is celebrating
the completion of this building project that is a
culmination of many years of hard work. It all began in
2002 when Senator Beavers negotiated a $1 per year lease
for this property between the Tennessee Department of
Transportation and DeKalb County Government. On August
14, 2007, Senator Beavers acquired a permanent property
transfer deed to the DeKalb County Fire Department from
the State of Tennessee. Since that time, Senator
Beavers, DeKalb County Mayor Mike Foster, and the DeKalb
County Commission provided funding and grant sources
that made it possible to renovate and complete a large
addition to the existing building."
"Without our leader's extraordinary generosity and
vision, this facility would not have come to fruition.
However, we owe our gratitude to the many people who
have been instrumental in making this day possible. To
the men and women of the DeKalb County Fire Department
who volunteered countless hours of personal labor and
sacrifice in the building of this facility, Walter and
Linda Siggleko, and Middle Tennessee Natural Gas Utility
District's Project Hometown Help for generous financial
contributions."
"This facility's central location in DeKalb County is
symbolic of the central role it will play in benefitting
our communities. This is why, today, we are here
dedicating this facility to Senator Mae Beavers, as she
is the true representation of community spirit,
leadership, pride, and cooperation. Our security and
prosperity depend upon our willingness to be involved in
our world. Senator Beavers' involvement in making DeKalb
County Fire Department better prepared to serve our
communities is a testimony to her legacy."
"This is a great day for DeKalb County Fire
Department. This is a day of honoring the legacy of
Senator Beavers and an opportunity to rededicate our
commitment to serve our fellow man. It is well known and
widely accepted that investments in preparedness and
training yield enormous benefits to our citizens through
improved safety, better health, and community vitality."
"Senator Beavers and our county's leaders, through
their vision, have duly recognized the importance of
public safety in supporting our current and future
firefighters. Sacrifices we make today builds our
progress of tomorrow. The benefits of this facility can
be hard to predict, but based upon the past, the future
will be more spectacular than we can ever imagine."
Senator Beavers, saying she was undeserving of the
honor, gave the credit to Chief Green and the
department. "Thank you for what you do for this
community. You have no idea probably of what we pay on a
fire rate just in Wilson county to have the service and
you are giving all of this to DeKalb County. It's a
tremendous help to the county and I appreciate your
dedication to your community and just the fact that
you're out there everyday putting your lives on the
line. It means so much to me. It was an honor for me to
help get this building and it's just tremendous to see
what you have done with it. I'm going to get some
pictures to take to the commissioner to show him what
this means and what TDOT has done for this community.
It's an honor to serve you. This is a great county."
Source: WJLE
Radio - Smithville, TN |
