By Crystal McGough
The Pinson City Council offered a first reading of a resolution last night to authorize the mayor to execute a contract for enhanced fire prevention and enforcement services.
The contract states that the Center Point Fire District, through Fire Marshal Matt Angelo, “agrees to provide enhanced fire prevention services (including investigation activities, and state and local code enforcement services) in the city of Pinson.”
“When Pinson has someone (that) needs to review the drawings about a new street or fire plugs or a building that’s going to get a fire alarm, now that we took over zoning in January, we need to participate not only in the cost, but in the benefits of having Matt available to us for that sort of thing,” Pinson Mayor Hoyt Sanders said.
If the resolution is passed at an upcoming council meeting, the city will be responsible for paying CPFD one-fourth of the total cost of the Angelo’s anticipated services. Pinson will be required to pay CPFD $22,976 annually, in quarterly installments of $5,744.75
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“What the Fire District has been doing with Clay and Center Point for several years is thirding the cost of the Fire Marshall,” Sanders said. (The cost) will be split into a fourth. Pinson will be a fourth, Clay a fourth, Center Point a fourth, and then the District, themselves, will pay one-fourth of Matt’s cost.”
According to the agreement, Angelo will “act as the city’s fire marshal with respect to all investigatory, inspection, regulation and enforcement activities authorized by Alabama law… Act as the fire code official or fire marshal in connection with any applicable fire code of the city, or other ordinances and regulations of the city concerning fire safety and prevention; and serve on such municipal boards and groups as may be required by the city in connection with fire safety and prevention.”
“It’s a great opportunity because we get the benefit of Matt’s education and experience, essentially at one-fourth the cost,” Sanders said. “Otherwise, we would have to call in a consultant.”