AJC > NorthSide > Blog > Archives > 2007 > May > 15
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
How’s the fire service in Johns Creek
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
On Friday, a new fire department will start to fight fires in the young city of Milton.
That will leave nearby Johns Creek, another new city, as the only place in north Fulton County protected by firefighters and paramedics with the Fulton County Fire Department.
Now some question whether Johns Creek should speed up efforts to roll out its own fire trucks, too.
Although the average response time citywide is about 6 minutes, it can take 11 minutes for county emergency workers to reach some parts of Johns Creek. That’s nearly three times what the National Fire Protection Association recommends.
“The city is doing the best they can, but is it good enough?” said Stan Stanfill, a retired DeKalb County paramedic. He worked on a task force that studied how to start a department in Johns Creek.
Evan Vayhinger, a longtime volunteer firefighter who lives in Johns Creek, wants the city to create a fire department sooner rather than later. The city has a contract with Fulton County to provide fire protection through 2008, but Mayor Mike Bodker has suggested that Johns Creek start a fire department by next February.
“We haven’t had that many bad situations,” he said. “But if you roll the dice enough times, you lose some time.”
The issue of fire protection in Johns Creek came up in a meeting between city and county officials last week. City staffers were concerned because the staffing levels dipped slightly at three county fire stations that protect Johns Creek, a violation of the fire-protection contract between Johns Creek and Fulton County. County officials promised to resolve the problem in a couple of weeks.
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Portman won’t appeal, so what’s next step?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Architect John Portman is not taking Sandy Springs to court over the right to build a 27,000 square foot house with elements rising 80 feet into the air. The deadline for appealing the April decision by the Board of Zoning Appeals passed on Saturday.
The question now is what will his next step be. He could build a house that only rises 40 feet above ground.
He could also sell the 12-acre site on Northside Drive.
Check back for updates.
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