Rural/Metro questions remain

Sept. 29--Ambulance response times now have the attention of Knox County Commission.

In Monday's regular meeting, commissioners asked the county Law Director Richard "Bud" Armstrong to draft a letter asking the county's ambulance provider, Rural/Metro, to answer some questions on service.

Dr. Martha Buchanan, director of the Knox County Health Department, answered some of the questions about response times, fines the county levies for long waits and accreditation for mutual aid ambulances, but the detailed responses commissioners wanted may end up with Rural/Metro staff being called before the elected body.

"We will (work) with Dr. Buchanan and we will determine what role we will play or not," Armstrong said. "And we'll be ready for your meeting one way or the other."

The questions came up during a discussion over Rural/Metro, which has been scrutinized in recent months after reports were made showing when the ambulance provider had long response times and some instances when no ambulances were free to respond for calls.

After the reports were made public this summer, Buchanan met with Rural/Metro officials. Both sides have agreed that the communication between Health Department staff and Rural/Metro has been improved.

Buchanan agreed to assist Armstrong if needed.

In other business, Commissioner Jeff Ownby said he'd like Boomsday to stay.

Visit Knoxville announced that 2015's massive Labor Day weekend fireworks display would be the last it would run.

"It has become tradition for Knox County, and for this city," Ownby said, "and I think it is a tradition that is worth carrying on. I would plead with the county and the city to find a way to continue this."

But the life of Boomsday, which cost Visit Knoxville about $100,000 a year to produce, may have run its course, according to some commissioners. At-Large Commissioners Bob Thomas and Ed Brantley both had a radio show with a former producer of Boomsday when it was a sponsored event.

"I love Boomsday, and enjoy it and love it," Thomas said. "If there was enough support in the community to bring it back, you'd have sponsors in the community lining up to support this."

Commissioner Randy Smith was also cool to the idea of Knox County getting involved in bringing back the waterfront event.

"One thing I haven't noticed is that the hotels, the restaurants ... have not been screaming to bring it back," he said.

Also on Monday, Sheriff Jimmy "J.J." Jones went before commissioners to emphasize the need to find a place to house a growing inmate population in the county's detention facility, including the mentally ill.

"This is something that's going to happen," he said, stressing the matter's importance.

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