John Coffelt, Editor

Manchester Safety Committee postponed until January an ordinance that would create a permitting process during the Dec. 8 meeting.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is a medical treatment involving breathing pure oxygen in a pressurized chamber, significantly increasing oxygen levels in your blood, which is said to promote healing, fight infection, save tissues and treat certain other conditions.

Manchester Fire Department is concerned with the potential dangers of facilities and residential hyperbaric chambers in the event of a fire.

These devices, which are a large high-pressure tank filled with pure oxygen, have specific fire code regulations.

Manchester Fire Marshal Jeremy Woods called the proposed ordinance a safety concern. Woods said the pressurized housing is not inherently dangerous if installed following safe practices.

Woods said that two deaths have occurred nationwide in hyperbaric chambers due to fire started by static electricity in the oxygen-rich environment.  

The permit process would grandfather the current commercial hyperbaric chamber. It would be mainly to inform first responders about the presence of such equipment in the event of a fire. 

Mayor Joey Hobbs said that with the increased prevalence of residential chambers available at Amazon, additional training needs to be done for firefighters to respond to chambers in residences.

Woods said that a recent fire alarm call alerted the fire department to a business in town with a hyperbaric chamber.

John has been with the Manchester Times since May 2011. John has won Tennessee Press Association awards for Best News Photo and placed in numerous other categories. John is a 1994 graduate of Tullahoma High School, a graduate of Motlow State Community College and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Middle Tennessee State University. He lives in Tullahoma, enjoys painting, dancing and exploring the outdoors.