Nathan Prewett, For the Tribune
LEEDS, Ala.–Multiple firefighters were recognized by Fire Chief Chuck Parsons during Monday’s Leeds City Council meeting for their efforts in saving the life of a father of one of their own.
Parsons read from a statement saying that in February, Leeds Fire and Rescue received a call about an unresponsive man on Parnell Drive.
Captain Kyle Shell was also notified and managed to make it to the residence where his father, Jerry Shell, was lying unconscious in the yard.
Shell performed what Parson said was lifesaving CPR until others from the department arrived to provide assistance.
“Kyle’s dad was treated no differently than anybody else on this Earth, I can promise you that,” said Parsons. “The staff there treated him just like anybody else. I try to emphasize that it’s not because it was Kyle’s dad.”
“I’ve been doing this since the ’80s. And I have probably done CPR on cardiac arrests probably three or four hundred times and I can count the number of times people have walked out of the hospital on one hand. So when this happens, we make a big deal out of it. This is what we train for.”
Those who were recognized for helping save Shell’s life, in addition to Capt. Shell, included Demarlo Blount, Michael Jenkins, Mark Powers, Jordan West, Jared Cain, Tyler Paterno, Jordan West, Chase Armstrong, and Gage Reiner.
“This drives home the fact that we have a fully staffed and equipped fire department at Leeds,” said Mayor David Miller. “The best equipment in the world doesn’t mean anything unless you’ve got skilled people to use that equipment, and we keep our people trained. The chief does a wonderful job through our officers to make sure that we’re ready to handle any circumstance and this is just another example of that fruition of that high level of training.”
Also during the council meeting, Court Magistrate Laurie Roberts thanked the department for helping organize the Battle of the First Responders Basketball Tournament, which raised money for the Leeds High School marching band’s trip to Hawaii, and presented Parsons with a trophy for winning the tournament.
Mayor Miller also read a proclamation declaring the week of May 5-11 to be Annual Professional Municipal Clerks Week. Miller recognized Leeds City Clerk Toushi Arbitelle and said that she has nearly completed the state training to get the highest level of classification for clerks.
During public comments Planning and Zoning Commission Chair Eddie Cook spoke and confronted Councilman Eric Turner about the discussion that took place at the previous meeting about a proposed development of 60 apartments on Norman Drive.
At the April 15 meeting, Turner said that there had originally been a proposal by the developer to build 28 homes but that it was turned down by the Planning and Zoning Commission reportedly due to possible concerns about traffic with the entrance. Turner pointed out similar traffic concerns with apartments.
At the May 6 meeting, Cook reiterated those concerns about the entrance, saying that there are a number of problems with it to make the original plan work. He said that while the original was rejected, an apartment development has not been approved either because of the entrance.
He asked Turner if he had attended any of the meetings where the proposal for the homes was made, to which Tuner said that he had not. Cook asked him if he had seen drawings of the development plans, but Turner said that his issue was not the drawings but was against having an apartment complex.
A back and forth followed that was somewhat tense before Cook insisted that the issues posed by the entrance must be resolved before any development begins.
After Cook was Susan Carswell, who urged the council to work with the Planning and Zoning Commission to amend the subdivision policies to limit clearcutting and brought up complaints of such practices causing flooding and other problems. Following her was Anna Goodson, concurring with Carswell’s remarks.
In other business the council:
- Adopted and ratified the city expenditures and payables for January,
- Adopted and ratified the city expenditures and payables for February,
- Extended the contract with Eco for solid waste collection for an additional 12 months, and
- Approved purchasing playground equipment for the Memorial Park for $490,110.94.
Meetings are held on the first and third Mondays of every month at City Hall on 1400 9th Street Northeast. Agenda packets can be seen online at the City of Leeds website.
Nathan Prewett can be reached at nthomasp6@gmail.com.