Mayor crashes new fire truck

By: By ASHLEY McKEEN Floridan Staff Writer | Jackson County Floridan
Published: January 10, 2010

Grand Ridge mayor and volunteer firefighter Chris Wright may have cost the city up to $1,000 Thursday, after he struck a pine tree while driving the town’s newest fire truck on a non-dispatched call.
According to the Floridan High Patrol report of the accident, Wright was attempting to turn around in a private driveway off Sand Basin Road when one of the fire truck’s rear tires slid off a plastic culvert and into a ditch.
The vehicle then began to lean to the left and struck a pine tree, causing an estimated $2,000 worth of damage to the left side of the vehicle.
The vehicle is insured by the city, but there is a $1,000 deductible. If the repairs turn out to be more than $1,000, this will end up costing the city of Grand Ridge.
The highway patrol report states the contributing cause to the accident was careless driving on Wright’s behalf.
Grand Ridge Fire Chief Ashley Gilley confirmed Friday that there was no emergency call Thursday, when the mayor was driving the truck. This means Wright took the vehicle out in violation of a city council vote.
According to the minutes of a Grand Ridge Council meeting on Sept. 4 2008, this has been an issue before. In an effort to eliminate this problem, a motion was made by Councilman Thomas Peaden “that the fire trucks would not leave the station unless dispatched by Jackson County.” The motion passed unanimously.
In a brief phone interview Saturday, Wright stated, “It has been about a week or two since the vehicle was last taken out,” Wright said in a phone interview Saturday. “And with it being so cold, we had just put some antifreeze in the truck. But (the antifreeze) doesn’t do any good without running the vehicle and letting it circulate.”
Gilley confirmed it has been a while since the last call. “It’s my understanding that he was just warming up the vehicle,” Gilley said.
Gilley also stated the truck has not yet been inspected by the insurance company and he is not sure the damage is actually $2,000.
“I think the officer just came up with that number off the top of his head,” Gilley said. There were no further details regarding the actual cost of the damages or the actual cost to Grand Ridge as of Saturday afternoon.
Moneyham stated in a phone interview Friday that he had been receiving numerous phone calls from Grand Ridge residents regarding the matter.
Although the truck Wright took out was the newer of the two, there was still a fire truck available, had an emergency call come in.
“The other truck is about a 30- or 40-year-old apparatus, but we do have two emergency vehicles,” Moneyham said.