Todd Fiscal Court is accepting bids on prices to purchase a used ladder fire truck so departments can provide an adequate response if there were to be an emergency at Novelis in Guthrie.
The new plant set to open for production next year is 90 feet high in some places and Emergency Management Director Daniel Smith says no department in Todd County currently has the capability to provide fire suppression at heights over 20 feet.
Smith and James Jones from Novelis recently traveled to Finley Fire Equipment in Ohio and looked over a 2003 ladder truck that would cost about $100,000 to purchase and get in good working order for Todd County.
Jones says Novelis isn’t providing funds specifically to assist with a fire truck purchase, but they will be providing financial support to Todd County’s first responder agencies in the future.
Smith notes insurance ratings would improve for most of Todd County, including Guthrie, Elkton and Trenton with a ladder truck in the county. Judge-Executive Todd Mansfield told magistrates that Elkton and Guthrie have expressed a willingness to assist with the cost.
No commitment was made, but fiscal court did agree to accept bids.
Smith also reminded the community that the Clarksville Rotary Club’s annual bicycle ride is Saturday morning, so motorists on the south end of the county should be on the lookout for hundreds of bikers.
Meanwhile, Todd County Clerk Leslie Cunningham is battling cancer after a recent diagnosis and received unanimous approval for an additional $10,000 for staffing to meet the community’s needs when she must take time off in the coming months.