Ambulance windshield cracked after garage door closed during loading; county discusses safety upgrades and parking policy

County Director Chris Limpp and Judge John Riley described an Aug. 17 incident in which a garage door partially closed while crew were loading an ambulance for a nursing‑home emergency, cracking the windshield and dislodging the door from its track. Limpp said the crew had been loading mass-casualty equipment when the door "came down and hit the windshield," and he recommended adding safety stops to the door mechanism.

Magistrates and the Judge discussed how the garage-door photo‑beam sensors and opener timers operate and whether the door should have reversed upon contact. Several magistrates raised OSHA and safety concerns and differing operational practices for parking and door use. Magistrate M. Moody proposed a formal policy prohibiting parking county-owned vehicles under garage doors; the motion was seconded and failed on a roll-call vote (ayes: Esq. J. Moody, Esq. Brewer, Esq. M. Moody; nays: Judge Riley, Esq. Travis, Esq. Beaverson).

Limpp reported the county had filed an insurance claim and that the vehicle remained in service while awaiting a windshield repair. The Judge and others said they preferred policy and procedural changes (including choosing where vehicles are parked and improving maintenance) and asked staff to bring cost estimates for safety stops rather than purchasing equipment immediately. The Court did not adopt a formal safety-stop procurement at the meeting.

The discussion included suggestions to add mechanical safety stops, review garage‑door opener settings, and consider policy language for EMS operations; no final procurement or binding policy change was recorded at the Aug. 17 session.