Fire Rescue to elect board at meeting

Martinez-Columbia Fire Rescue will elect new board members at a public forum Tuesday and look back at a year of significant change within the department.

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Martinez-Columbia spokeswoman Honey Shore said Chief Doug Cooper and his senior staff will recap a year of "unprecedented growth," and recognize their paid and volunteer firefighters of the year. Fire personnel also will elect a new board treasurer and secretary.

Assistant Fire Chief James Champion is the current treasurer and Shore is the current secretary. The two could be re-elected or be replaced with officers serving 42-month terms.

Once the election is complete, the body will discuss the budget for fiscal year 2007, Shore said.

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at Martinez-Columbia's headquarters on Desoto Drive, in Martinez.

At the beginning of the year, Martinez-Columbia assumed 24/7 fire protection, medical first response, hazardous material and auto-crash extrication response for all the unincorporated areas of the county.

Since that time, the county has built new fire stations for the department on Old Louisville Road and Sugarcreek Drive near Grovetown; Clary Cut Road near Harlem; Ray Owens Road near Phinizy; and Columbia Road in Appling. The county also has set up temporary stations on White Road near Harlem and on Ray Owens Road in Leah.

The new year should bring a new permanent Leah station and the purchase of four new pumper trucks and an aerial truck through a voter-approved $43 million county capital improvements bond.

Shore said public comments are welcome at the meeting.