City To Color Code Fire Hydrants According to Flow Capacity

February 9, 2018
By: Dwayne Page

The City of Smithville will soon have to undertake a project to color code fire hydrants according to their pressure flow capacity in accordance with regulations of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.

Currently, all the city’s fire hydrant tops have the same color “red”.

The city will have to color code the bonnet/cap of the hydrants as follows:

Class C-RED- Less than 500 gallons per minute

Class D- Black bonnet or covering-Temporarily out of service.

During Monday night’s meeting of the Smithville Mayor and Aldermen, Fire Chief Charlie Parker explained that fire department pumper trucks are prohibited from connecting to hydrants that are a Class C. These hydrants may be used to fill the booster tanks on any fire apparatus by using the water system’s available pressure only (fire pumps shall not be engaged during refill operations from a Class C hydrant).

“Technically the hydrants are supposed to be color coded as far as to what pressure they flow and in accordance with that ruling fire departments are not supposed to connect to a hydrant with a red top. As you know in Smithville all of our hydrants have a red top because they are not color coded. I would like to see if we could get some extra help with seasonal workers along with our fire department personnel. Since its fire hydrants, everybody thinks it’s a fire department project but we don’t have the resources or manpower to get them tested. I have been working with the 911 system over the last couple of years and now we have most of our hydrants digitized on a GIS map so they are located and numbered but we have to flow them and paint them to whatever color they need to be and get the information entered into the computer system so we will have it. Then we are supposed to annually flow them and do a spot check. It is not the time of the year to do this now. I’m just coming to you (mayor and aldermen) to see if we can come up with a plan to get the hydrants tested because it will benefit all of us, not just the fire department but also the water department too. We have roughly about 240 hydrants already mapped out but I’m thinking it will probably be closer to 270 because there some hydrants not mapped especially near the industrial parks and Walmart that we would like to add to the GIS map too because that benefits us (firefighters) being about to look on a map and know if we have a really good hydrant especially with the ladder truck where we need higher flows of water,” said Chief Parker.

Mayor Jimmy Poss said the city might be able to hire some part time help to assist with the project.

Utilities are now required under state law to account for water used. “In order for our utility to comply, we must require that you (Smithville Fire Department) report on a monthly basis; when, where, and an estimate of how much water was used,” wrote Public Works Director Kevin Robinson, in a letter to Chief Parker.

February 9, 2018
By: Dwayne Page

The DCHS Basketball teams will make their debut in the District 8 AA Tournament next week at Tennessee Tech in Cookeville.

The Tigers, the 6th seed, will take on Watertown, the 7th seed, on Tuesday night, February 13 at 7:30 p.m. The winner will meet Macon County, the 3rd seed, on Thursday, February 15 at 7:30 p.m.

Meanwhile the Lady Tigers, the 5th seed, will face Watertown, the 8th seed, on Wednesday night, February 14 at 6:00 p.m. The winner will meet Cannon County, the 4th seed, on Friday, February 16 at 6:00 p.m.

WJLE will have LIVE coverage.
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http://www.wjle.com/community

February 9, 2018
By: Dwayne Page

A Smithville man charged in a burglary last April was sentenced in DeKalb County Criminal Court Friday, February 9

24 year old David Matthew Hill, originally charged with aggravated burglary (2 counts), burglary, and theft over $1,000 (2 counts), entered a plea to one count of aggravated burglary and received a 10 year sentence in the Tennessee Department of Correction to run concurrently with a 10 year Warren County sentence against him. He was given jail credit from April 15, 2017 to February 9, 2018. Hill must make restitution of $975 to the victim

Sheriff Patrick Ray said that on Friday, April 14, 2017 Hill allegedly broke into a residence and an outbuilding on Twilla Lane, Smithville and stole a lawnmower, a chainsaw, a weedeater, and a mini bike valued at more than $1,000. The victim discovered the break-in upon returning home and reported it to the sheriff’s department.

The following day on Saturday, April 15 Hill returned to the scene of the crime looking for his cell phone that he had lost during the burglary the day before. While there, Hill broke into the same residence again and stole property this time valued at $2,748. The victim returned home while Hill was still on the property and called the sheriff’s department. Officers responded and placed Hill under arrest.

36 year old Kennith Wayne Lattimore and 30 year old Brenda Lattimore each entered a plea to theft of property over $1,000 and received a sentence of two years suspended to supervised probation on judicial diversion. Each is jointly and severally responsible for making restitution of $1,452 to the victim, Walmart.

According to Smithville Police, the Lattimore’s and another man, 44 year old Gerald Kier entered Wal-Mart on Sunday, August 14, 2016 at approximately 1:00 a.m. and could be seen on video surveillance taking an estimated $3,794.12 in merchandise. They were arrested and found to be in possession of several stolen items from Wal-Mart including hunting bows, knives, and other various merchandise valued at over $500. Kier entered a plea by criminal information in October, 2016 to one count of theft over $500 and received a sentence of two years, all suspended to supervised probation. He was ordered to make restitution of $1,452 to Walmart and he was placed under a restraining order to keep away from the store.