The Opossum Fire & Who's On First (Responder)?

National Alabama Corporation - Building for Tomorrow; how apt a logo, since they don't seem to be building for today. Our source inside the plant feels an order for rail cars is inevitable, but can place no time frame on the much anticipated event. Apparently one thing management is not anticipating is a second fire, since our source has determined it was by management's order that the 50 plus fire hoses were removed last December.

The previous fire at National Alabama occurred in the early hours of Saturday, September 12, 2009, when an opossum invaded the plant's electrical sub-station. Gasoline powered generators kicked in when electrical power was interrupted, but vapors from the elevated equipment caused a ceiling/roof fire that damaged a 20 foot by 20 foot section of the plant. Per protocol, a 911 call went out to first responders, at that time the Barton Volunteer Fire Department.

Per our source, management at National Alabama was so disappointed in the leadership of the Barton force that it designated the better trained Cherokee department as the new first responder. While Barton would undoubtedly assist in the event of a major conflagration, Cherokee is indeed the fire department that would lead the other teams in attempting to quell the blaze. We doubt this is anything the Barton VFD announced in its newsletter.

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In the "For What It's Worth in Cherokee" department, a reader writes:

Thought I would let the good citizens of Cherokee know that Friday night when Melinda Malone was moving things out of her office to the new downtown city hall, Mignon was at the Middle School helping Melinda pack and move. Hummm, so she had access to all of the city documents that have been locked up, that even the mayor himself couldn't get into.

Our take? If ever a town needed a city manager, it's Cherokee.

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According to his blog, pedophile/sex offender advocate Derek Warren Logue has now finished relocating to Cincinnati. Until Logue's appearance on the scene, we were unaware of the existence of such advocates; the fact that they exist should reinforce our need to be ever vigilant of our children. We doubt that anyone is sorry to see Logue go...



Shoalanda

Groceries?/Barton Metro!/Coming Soon...

Reasons Not to Buy Groceries Before Snow

1. You have no teenagers who consume $100.00 of food every 12 hours.

2. You have a fridge the size of Wisconsin.

3. You have to justify the extra 2K expense for 4-Wheel drive on your vehicle.

4. You need to lose weight and when was Dan ever right anyway?

5. You need a great story of deprivation to tell your grandchildren.

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Several readers commented on Cherokee's role in any future fire at National Alabama. It seems the community of Barton has a volunteer fire department that would be in command of such a situation, with Cherokee as first backup. Locust Shores and other departments could be called in as needed.

We discussed chemical fires with one reader who tells us that even a small department would have some resources to fight such an event; however, we doubt it would be enough to control a flash fire in a mile-long facility.

Another reader broached the possibility that the hoses were not intentionally discarded, but stolen over the holiday break. We doubt that scenario due to the extensive security at the rail car plant; however, if true, after six weeks the hoses should have already been replaced.

For those in Cherokee who took great umbrage to our article...the intent was not to degrade the Colbert County town due to its financial problems, but to showcase the distinct possibility of great financial loss at National Alabama in case of a major fire.

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For those who do want another humorous look at Cherokee, be sure to check in tomorrow for J.J. Ray's latest take on the town and its financial crisis.

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Is someone expecting an AARP card this week? Happy birthday, Jim!



Shoalanda