CULLMAN – In a letter addressed to the Cullman County Rescue Squad, obtained by The Cullman Tribune late Tuesday evening, the Cullman County Commission states the squad must vacate the premises, located at 1520 Sportsman Lake Road, no later than June 30, 2016. The letter is dated April 29, 2016.
The certified letter states this was the second request to vacate the property. The letter, signed by Cullman County Commission Chairman Kenneth Walker stated, “Your (CCRS) time and service over the years have been invaluable to both Cullman County and its citizens.”
The letter also states the CCRS has “developed several issues over the past months” and goes on to read “Cullman County has tried to be proactive in working through your (CCRS) issues; however, your (CCRS) issues continue to go unresolved.”
When reached for comment today, Walker explained that the whole thing started back in 2012 or 2013. “We didn’t appropriate them any money for the 2013 calendar year. They come to us and asked us why, and we told them we were going to have to audit their books. And we audited their books, and come to find out there were checks written for cash with no receipts, numerous of them. There was checks written to individuals for no reason whatsoever and just a lot of questions about the money being spent that was appropriated. I asked them to come up with receipts on the money that was spent, and they couldn’t come up with any receipts.”
Walker says the commission was appropriating about $15,000 a year to the CCRS, plus paying about $15,000 a year in insurance, which comes up June 30 for renewal, so the commission made the decision to ask them to vacate the property by that date.
“My understanding is that a lot of the people that’s in (the CCRS) it’s not been trained and not been certified, and their services are not needed any longer. The volunteer fire departments do the rescue, and they do all of the diving now. It’s just a hangout for some people that I think are just abusing County property.
Walker said that the CCRS was asked to remove the “County” from their name back in 2012 because they’re not associated with Cullman County, but that the CCRS didn’t comply.
When asked why the CCRS was still permitted to have the blue County tags on their vehicles up until now, even after their County funding was cut off back in 2013, Walker said that the commission had been trying to work with them and had still been paying their insurance, but that they’ve had “two, almost two and a half years to cooperate with us, and they’re not. It seems like they don’t want to work with us, so we’ve asked them to vacate the property.”
The commission has plans for the property, which they hope to use to expand the Cullman County Commission on Aging facilities.
Walker said that the fire departments have come a long way with their rescue and dive efforts, and that the CCRS has had five or six changes in leadership over the last three or so years, making it hard on them to move forward.
“They didn’t seem to care about how the County was helping them, so it’s time for us to part,” said Walker.
When asked what would happen if the CCRS does not comply with this second request to vacate, Walker stated, “They’ll be removed. I don’t think that will be a good thing for them to do, honestly.”
When reached this evening for comments, CCRS Secretary-Treasurer Miranda Weaver stated that their organization is the only rescue squad in Cullman County.
“There is a big difference, and a lot of people don’t see that, between a rescue squad and a fire department. Just because it says Fire and Rescue, does not necessarily mean that they do the types of rescues that we do.”
Weaver said the CCRS handles, among other things, rescues such as missing persons, whether it is a child or the elderly, and recovery, where they drag for bodies on the lake in drownings. She said that as far she knows, they are the only squad in town that does those types of rescues.
She said they work well with Cullman EMS and Hanceville Fire and Rescue. “As for our standing with fire departments, we really don’t know,” she said.
“We received the first letter (to vacate) in September, and they never would give us answers from then. We’ve asked, and we’ve asked and we’ve asked. We’re not being provided with answers. They asked us to do an in-service (audit) of our building, down to every band-aid, every bolt, every screw in here, and they would set up a meeting. Well, the time for that meeting come around, the county commission didn’t show up.”
She said they spent hours getting ready for the audit, but the results were never used.
As for any issues that the commission has with the CCRS, “they stated they wanted “County” removed from our name, but they wouldn’t give us a reason why.” Weaver said the CCRS was established in 1962, and they (county commission) didn’t come until later, so they don’t see the reasoning behind changing their name now.
Weaver stated that the reason the CCRS didn’t comply with the initial letter in September asking for them to vacate the premises was because the letter wasn’t an actual certified letter, that it wasn’t handled properly. She said it was handed to the person who was mowing their yard.
“To me, that was maybe a scare tactic,” she said.
Afterwards, she said, they tried to contact the commission, but never heard back.
About the accusations that the CCRS has been conducting door-to-door solicitations for donations and using the names of other county rescue organizations, Weaver stated, “We never claimed to represent ANY local EMS or fire department. Yes, the group that we (used), they were called the Firefighter Supporters of America, but they were also there to support rescue squads as well. Yes, they went door to door asking for a donation, but that was a year ago.”
Weaver said the only fundraisers done since then were their car wash and a car show. She stated that the proper paperwork was filled out and the proper people contacted with they did do their door-to-door fundraising.
When asked what the CCRS plans to do now, she said, “We’re going to fight. We’re going to stand our ground. We’re going to stay. We do not plan on shutting our doors.
“We still want to be part of our community. This is our job, this is what we all pour our heart and soul into. We want our community to back us. If our community can’t back us, how can we continue to support and provide for our community?”
This is a developing story.
Hear full interview with Kenneth Walker here: https://soundcloud.com/cullmansense/kenneth-walker-rescue-squad-interview
Hear full interview with Miranda Weaver here: https://soundcloud.com/cullmansense/rescue-squad-interview
Photo credit: Wanda Wise Scooter
