Article submitted by James Master, The Pilot News Managing Editor
During the Jan. 19 meeting of the Argos Town Council, the council discussed changing the town’s Infectious Disease Outbreak Response Plan.
Town Attorney Derek Jones explained to the council that Council Member George Null had talked to Jones about the fact that the plan mentions the Argos Fire and EMS departments.
“When George sent this to me, I was like, we really don’t have authority or control over the Fire and EMS at this point. It’s under the Fire Territory,” Jones said.
He stated that the council might think about whether they want to eliminate the provision to talk about those departments in the document. The plan was approved by the council on March 18, 2020.
“We’re probably going to run into this from time to time. We may have some ordinances, resolutions that refer to the Fire Department or the EMS that we kind of have control or authority over them, but we don’t really at this point,” Jones said.
He added that it was up to the Argos Fire Territory to figure out their own Infectious Disease Outbreak Response Plan. He said that it was fine if they adopted the same one the town has. “Is this something that do we have to amend this? Probably not, because again if we didn’t and we said, ‘hey you’re (Fire Territory) not following the plan’ and they come back and say ‘well, we don’t have to’ they’d be correct,” said Jones.
Council Vice-President Shawn Harley asked if something drastic happened to the town, would the town be liable if the document wasn’t amended. Null pointed out that in the document it says “The Town of Argos contracts with Argos Volunteer Fire Incorporated for volunteers to operate town equipment, they will follow their written bylaws for infectious disease outbreaks.”
He went on to say that, “there is no longer an Argos Volunteer Fire Incorporated.” Argos Volunteer Fire Incorporated is now Argos Volunteer Fire Association.
Jones answered Harley with “it would be hard for the town to really have any liability given that we no longer have control or authority over them.”
Council President Charles Randy Snead, who also serves on the Argos Fire Territory Board, stated that he would get the issue on that board’s agenda.
The town council didn’t take action on this issue during the meeting
