Oak Ridge fire report: $50 repair reimbursement requested; call volume up

Scott Holler presented the Oak Ridge Fire Department monthly report and asked the council to approve a $50 reimbursement to an employee who paid for a small repair to Engine 15-21.

"It came out to $50 for the repair," Holler said, and said the department will submit an invoice and an expense-reimbursement form for council approval. He summarized recent operational activity and training: the department completed a firefighter-1 academy with about 24 volunteers and hired two full-time staff in the past six months, improving staffing availability.

Holler described ongoing collaborative emergency-preparedness work: the city is developing a response plan and working with a collaborative and the county to stand up a community emergency response team (CERT). He said the city plan will remain the primary document but that the arrangement with the collaborative will transition operational training to the fire department. Holler also agreed to email meeting information about the collaborative so Westfir can have a local representative.

Councilors asked about reimbursement timing and whether a formal action is needed; Holler said the department will submit standard reimbursement paperwork and an invoice for processing. The council did not take a formal vote and asked staff to place the reimbursement on a future consent or expenditures item for approval.