In Memoriam Peter Abreu, Roswell visionary and philanthropist ►►PAGE 6
Smooth start to school year
18 principals, 665 teachers new to system ►►PAGE 14
&
Fall sports preview
Pull-out section looking at popular fall sports ►►PAGE 17
Alpharetta-Roswell
Politics
REVUE NEWS
Mosque revisited ► PAGE 4 Rep. Price talks D.C. ► PAGE 8
Empty Nest
Sponsored section ► PAGE 30
August 22, 2013 | northfulton.com | 73,500 circulation Revue & News, Johns Creek Herald, Milton Herald & Forsyth Herald combined | 50¢ | Volume 28, No. 34
Roswell mulls Roswell firefighters test court outsourcing JUMPING FROM WINDOWS »
new lifesaving device
Private company to staff clerks
By JONATHAN COPSEY jonathan@northfulton.com ROSWELL, Ga. – The New York Fire Department lost several firefighters in 2005 after they were forced to jump from the fourth story of a burning building to escape a blaze that had gotten out of control. From that moment on, fire departments began looking for ways to save firefighters who are faced with the choice of burning or jumping out a window. One answer is the Petzel EXO, a harness the firefighter wears that is equipped with a rope they can attach to a windowsill and rappel down to the ground in an emergency. “Conditions [in a burning building] can suddenly get bad,” said Roswell Deputy Fire Chief Ricky Burnette. “You can’t put a ladder at every window. This system does that.” “It’s like having a ladder at every window,” agreed Chris Minichiello, with East Coast Rescue Solutions, who was training Roswell firefighters Aug. 14 in the use of the system. Members of Roswell’s fire department were climbing out of windows at the training center on Hembree Road and using the rope-based escape system. With 50 feet of rope in the kit, a firefighter could get down from a five story building with no problem. At $600 apiece, the kits are not cheap, but they’re cheaper
See FIRE, Page 13
By JONATHAN COPSEY jonathan@northfulton.com
JONATHAN COPSEY/STAFF
Roswell firefighters practiced escaping from a burning building Aug. 14 by testing a new piece of equipment that allows them to climb from a burning building to the safety of the ground.
ROSWELL, Ga. – The city of Roswell is contemplating outsourcing its court services to a private contractor, making the courts the latest city department to see its public practices privatized. The City Council was given an update on the particulars of the proposed changes Aug. 13 by Deputy City Administrator Michael Fischer. He cited issues such as workload, efficiency and customer service as reasons to consider the shift. “The [court services] workload has gone down for a number of reasons… it has reached the point where an outside contractor can come in with more flexibility,” Fischer said. He said a large issue is the varying workload that the clerks face, which can be at times either too light or too burdensome. A private company would have the flexibility to add or subtract workers as the need arises. In January 2012, 2,317 citations were filed at the court by clerks. In April 2013, 526 were filed. In addition, Fischer said attorneys working cases in Roswell were becoming frustrated by rules and pace that they considered slow. They were instead taking their cases to Fulton County.
The [court services] workload has gone down… it has reached the point where an outside contractor can come in with more flexibility.” MICHAEL FISCHER Deputy City Administrator
If approved by the council, Roswell’s courts would be reorganized with the clerks working under the Jacobs Group, which already handles court services for Sandy Springs and Brookhaven. It comes with glowing recommendations from both cities, he said. “We would try it out for two years,” Fischer said. “We want a fresh look at the rules and make the court experience better for both employees and the people who use it.” Three positions would be eliminated. Fischer predicted about $30,000 in savings to the city. Community Development’s code enforcement and building inspection services are already outsourced.
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