The vehicle was partially submerged in water, each of its three occupants sustaining severe life-threatening injuries.
That was the all-hands-on-deck event for Sunflower County’s first responders two Saturdays ago when a car lost control on a snaky curve on Highway 448 and flew off of the road.
Among the agencies responding to that county wreck was the Indianola Fire Department, which says that the county’s rural fire agreement proposal does not come close to compensating the city enough for calls such as those.
“We didn’t have but two volunteers to respond, so I had to shut the city down to get manpower out there to cut these people out of the car,” IFD Chief Orlando Battle told the board of aldermen this past Monday.
Also joining Battle was Richard Parham from the Mississippi State Rating Bureau.
Battle and Parham said that if Indianola is left bare at its stations while responding to county calls, it could have a detrimental effect on the city’s fire rating.
“We didn’t have anyone to cover,” Battle said. “That’s what I’ve been saying all along is that we have people that regulates us, and I have to make sure that the city is covered, but when we have people, whose lives are in danger, that goes out the window.”
Parham said that currently the city struggles to field manpower for multiple alarms.
“If y’all are going to go out there, you need to set the rules of what you need to maintain our rating and still provide the service,” Parham said.
The rural fire agreement has been a sticking point for IFD for years, with Battle insisting that with state monies involved, the county seat should receive the bulk of the funds.
He said that the county’s formula is contrived and does not provide enough funds for the city to cover itself when it receives calls as far north as Rome and as far south as Caile.
“The county don’t understand this,” Battle said. “They just want to give a truck and ‘y’all respond to it.’ It’s more of a legality on us and the taxpayers in the city of Indianola.”
Parham said that according to the fire department’s records, there are one to two volunteers showing up on average to callouts.
“Y’all are giving away free fire protection to the county is what it amounts to for me, but it’s none of my business,” Parham said. “Once you leave the city, I have to ask for additional things from your city fire department in order to maintain the fire rating.”
That was the case during that major wreck earlier this month, Battle said, an accident that resulted in multiple amputations and three helicopters landing on 448.
“If I have five people at work, and two people are gone, I can’t cover it,” Battle said. “All I’m saying is that the contract they keep giving us is not helping. It’s hindering.”
Battle also said that the city has been repeatedly looked over when it comes to the county purchasing a new truck.
The current truck they have is 21 years old, he said.
“Anything in there past 15 years, you get discredited, so we’re not getting any credit for the truck that’s there now,” he said.
The board voted to give Battle and Parham the authority to speak to the Sunflower County Board of Supervisors on the city’s behalf, with hopes of negotiating more money for the city.
