Details on Farragut emergency plans told
To underscore Town of Farragut having an emergency plan, Town administrator David Smoak introduced a presentation by Knoxville-Knox County Emergency Management Agency.
“Most citizens, and the Board, know that we don’t have police and fire directly involved from the Town of Farragut as a service. But one of the direct services we do have is Public Works … a first responder to various situations that come up,” Smoak said during the Town’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting Thursday, July 14.
“Many times, we have 911 calls — or even calls to dispatch — to say ‘there’s a tree down, there’s an electrical line down,’” he added. “Our crews are on call all the time, on the weekends and at night, to go out and make sure they take care of those situations, keep the roads clear.
“They do a wonderful job coordinating with the Rural Metro Fire Department and also with Knox County Sheriff’s Office, whenever we need anything immediately done just in the Farragut area. But sometimes those events become bigger. They’re larger than just Farragut; they’re region-wide, they’re countywide. That’s when the Knoxville-Knox County Emergency Management Agency comes into play.”
KEMA director Colin Ickes said the Town is a partner with KEMA, as is Rural Metro and KCSO.
“We’re responsible for planning and preparedness on the front end and then coordination and support when there’s a major emergency or disaster,” Ickes said.
KEMA covers all of Knox County, including the Town.
“I thank the Town and leadership for the opportunity for partnership,” he added. “We work a lot with our emergency responders and partners on training and exercise opportunities and outreach to the community.
“KEMA has a committee of leaders from all of our emergency response agencies across the county, managing the emergency operations center.
Specifically, “We have a mobile command unit that we may respond to the scene with,” Ickes said.
On another note, a proclamation was read declaring July as Parks & Recreation Month in Farragut.
In other business, the Board unanimously approved:
• First Utility District easements along McFee Park’s access road to accommodate installation of water and sewer lines for Phase 3 of the park expansion project.
• Purchase of a 2022 John Deere Z997R diesel mower with a 72-inch Iron Pro side discharge deck for $21,513 that replaced its current mower.
• Purchase of a 2022 Case 580SN loader backhoe to replace a 2008 Case backhoe.
