By EASON FRANKLIN
The Lowndes Signal

The Lowndes County Fire Association held its monthly meeting at the Charles Smith Annex Building on Nov. 8 to discuss upcoming agendas and training courses.

An ISO class was scheduled for Nov. 20 in Hayneville starting at 8 a.m. for the various departments to discuss equipping fire trucks.

The goal of each community is to lower its ISO rating before each department’s review scheduled to begin the first quarter of 2011, according to Scott Holmes of the Hayneville Volunteer Fire Department.

Derrick Swanson of the Alabama Fire College asked all volunteers attending to bring a calculator, phone book and note-taking material for the course.

Association members also discussed an upcoming first responder course scheduled to begin around the first week of December.

“I will be working to make sure we accommodate for everyone’s schedules,” said Holmes. “I would like to have this course completed as quickly as possible.”

Members who sign up for the class will be required to purchase a handbook that discusses Hazmat procedures among other topics for between $80-$90.

Classes will be on Saturdays and weekday evenings until each members completes the course.

To prepare for the upcoming courses, members of the community volunteer fire departments (VFD) have purchased additional gear for its members.

Braggs VFD recently added some new air tanks and turnout gear to its inventory and Collirene has recruited several new, young members to its department.

The next Firefighter’s Association meeting will be held at Dec. 13 at the Charles Smith Annex Building in Hayneville starting at 6:30 p.m.

Other agenda items discussed:
– The Mosses VFD will be holding its third annual Christmas Banquet at the Mosses VFD Dec. 11. Tickets are $7.
– Pumps and hose tests are approaching for the local volunteer fire departments.
– Collirene’s VFD is still waiting on its antenna to be able to put their radios in service.