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Fire official pitches countywide 'passport' tag system; funding paused until next budget
Summary
A Knox County fire department representative proposed a countywide accountability tag ("passport") system to track firefighters at incidents, citing roughly 2,826 tags and training materials; commissioners acknowledged safety benefits but deferred funding until the October budget cycle.
A fire department representative asked Knox County commissioners to fund a countywide firefighter "passport" tag system designed to let incident command immediately account for personnel at hazardous scenes.
The presenter said the package includes an SOP and a training video as part of a consolidated purchase and estimated roughly 2,826 name tags to cover about 471 county firefighters. "This package that I presented does have a training video that comes along with it as part of the package," the fire department representative said. The speaker added that the system would let incident command convert an accountability check into a coordinated search-and-rescue assignment when someone is missing.
Commissioners and staff discussed cost and timing. The presenter described color-coded tags tied to roles (white for chief officers, red for lieutenants and captains, yellow for firefighters clearing hazardous areas and orange for support/EMS) and said some stations could hold spare tags to speed tracking. "It sounds like a large amount, but it's a small amount of money when it comes to keeping all of our members safe," the presenter said, noting departments could also buy tags individually if the commission paused adoption.
Staff and commissioners said the county did not budget for the purchase this fiscal year. Finance staff and commissioners agreed the purchase would have to wait for the October budget process unless an alternative funding source is found; several town fire chiefs, the presenter said, told staff they were prepared to buy tags on their own if action stalled.
Some commissioners raised modernization questions. One suggested electronic locator chips would be a more advanced long-term solution; staff acknowledged those options but emphasized tags are an immediate, lower-cost way to improve scene accountability while the county explores broader interoperability with neighboring counties.
Why it matters: A consistent, countywide accountability system would let multi-jurisdictional incident command confirm who is inside a structure or search area more quickly, potentially reducing response time in rescues and limiting the risk of untracked personnel. The commission did not authorize funding at the meeting and will revisit the proposal during the next budget cycle.
Next steps: Staff said they will continue outreach with neighboring counties and local chiefs, refine SOP language and supply further cost options for the October budget process.
