John Coffelt, Editor

The Coffee County Emergency Management Agency Committee voted during the Dec. 31 meeting to recommend the purchase of two Dodge Ram 3500 trucks to replace the agency’s two Ford Explorers.

EMA Director Allen Lendley said the trucks would better suit the needs of the agency. Part of the agency’s responsibility is fire investigation, which requires the transportation of potentially contaminated firefighter turnout gear, which is not to be placed in the same cabin used for passengers.

Additionally, the trucks are better suited to haul the department’s various emergency response trailers.

“When we bought the Explorers, we were wanting trucks,” Lendley said. “Trucks suit this office a lot better than those Explorers. We can carry certain equipment better in a truck.” 

Lendley explained in the time following the pandemic when departments faced long backlogs for new vehicles EMA placed an order for two trucks. When the vehicles were delivered to Ford of Murfreesboro, they failed to notify Lendley.

Moore County Sheriff “Tyler Hatfield…just happened to be up there, and the salesman said we have two black trucks here,” Lendley said.

After some negotiations the Explorers were sold to EMA at a $6,000 discount each for the cost of the trucks to save even further delay in the purchase.

EMA hopes to offset some of the cost for proposed purchase of the Dodge Ram 3500 Crew Cab 4×4 trucks at $45,181 plus $10,000 to upfit them by auctioning the 2022 Ford Explorers for an anticipated $25,000 each.

The Explorers were, to the director’s knowledge, the first vehicles purchased with county money. Following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, federal Homeland Security dollars were available to help strengthen EMA departments across the country. Now that flow of money has dwindled to a trickle.

“Our projects have changed, and we’re not allowed to buy trucks (with Homeland Security money),” Lendley said.  

The agency also hopes to auction a 2013 Chevy Tahoe from the fleet. With the return of a hazmat trailer and Ford F-350 truck from the Manchester Fire Department and the purchase of the new trucks, that would outfit all the agency’s personnel in heavy duty trucks.

The recommendation will go before the county Budget and Finance Committee and then on to the full legislative body for approval. The Coffee County Purchasing Committee is the board to designate county property surplus before it can be auctioned. Auctions are usually held on GovDeals.com.      

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.