Hickman County TN

Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people. Proverbs 14:34

Health, Safety & Properties · Meeting · Feb 2, 2026

Mon, Feb 2, 2026

Advises on public health and safety initiatives, emergency preparedness, and the care and use of county-owned buildings and grounds.

Watch the recording on YouTube

Join the Substack

Outline

This outline was generated by an LLM from a transcript and may contain errors or inaccuracies. Prefer the original recording when available.

The committee had no major scheduled action items, but the meeting became an extended debrief of the county’s response to the recent winter storm and related disasters. Members and department heads described emergency operations as a countywide, multi-agency effort that saved lives, relied heavily on advance planning by EMA, and exposed infrastructure weaknesses that will likely lead to future budget requests — especially for EMS station generators, communications redundancy, and tower fuel capacity. The discussion also previewed an after-action review and warned commissioners to expect overtime, fuel, and emergency-response budgets to be heavily overrun.

Operational details were substantial: EMS reported delayed October financials, then described storm-period call volume and staffing; the sheriff detailed pending calls, welfare checks, road access problems, and temporary equipment rentals; EMA explained why debris cleanup lagged behind emergency access work and said Hickman County’s response model was being copied elsewhere. Other notable threads included warming shelters, power restoration progress, solid-waste preparation for vegetation debris, recognition of Valerie Wood’s central coordination role, and informal cost estimates for as many as four generators.

Call to Order, Agenda, and Minutes 3:52

  • 4:07 Roll call recorded 12 present and 2 absent.
  • 4:29 Motion to approve the agenda; seconded; later corrected after a brief procedural mix-up and approved by voice vote.
  • 5:26 Motion to approve prior minutes was expanded to include November and January minutes because earlier months had not been addressed due to the November/December meeting situation.
  • 6:03 November and January minutes approved by voice vote.

Department / Official Reports 6:08

EMS report 6:56

  • 7:01 EMS gave delayed October financial and activity numbers because computer failure had prevented reporting them at the prior meeting.
    • 241 runs.
    • $113,424.80 in collections.
    • $123,239 in charges.
    • Director said margins were “coming together” better than before.
  • 7:22 Motion made and seconded to approve the EMS numbers/report for October.
  • 7:49 Roll-call vote approved the item 12–0, with 2 absent.

Winter storm response overview from EMS leadership 8:10

  • 8:10 EMS leadership said the county had faced two major disasters in 90 days, and described the most recent winter storm response as a statewide model built on prior EMA planning rather than improvised response.
  • 10:15 Before severe weather hit, EMS implemented a transport protocol limiting ambulances to the nearest hospitals and declining out-of-county transfers so resources would stay available locally.
  • 10:36 During Jan. 24–28, EMS handled 115 emergency calls, with many taking far longer than usual and some lasting up to 3 hours due to road and access conditions.
  • 11:09 The county’s 4x4 ambulances were described as lifesaving; crews sometimes still could not reach patients directly and had to rely on citizens with side-by-sides and chainsaws to cut paths.
  • 11:50 One highlighted patient had a severe head injury and remained hospitalized; the example was used to show the seriousness of otherwise inaccessible calls.
  • 12:17 Staff volunteered in advance, asked where they could help, and some worked 72 hours straight.
  • 12:29 EMS added a fourth crew using full-time and part-time staff; leadership said every available seat was filled and the extra truck never sat unstaffed.
  • 13:00 Office staff also came in despite government closures, assisting with ambulance and 4x4 response and working 12- to 18-hour days.
  • 13:20 EMS leadership formally thanked staff and emphasized county responders’ low pay compared with the level of service delivered.

EMA report 13:38

  • 13:45 EMA leadership thanked commissioners, the county mayor, and support personnel, including for overnight shelter coverage when staffing gaps emerged.
  • 14:37 Jason Pierce was singled out for taking vacation time from his regular job to help fill EMA operational gaps during the emergency.
  • 15:02 EMA’s remarks were mostly a thank-you and reinforcement that the response succeeded because of team depth and preplanning.

Sheriff’s report and storm response debrief 15:12

  • 15:25 The sheriff called the previous eight days a disaster and said the county was fortunate to have both strong public-safety staff and citizens who helped with deliveries and welfare efforts.
  • 16:05 At one point every deputy on duty was tied up while 40 to 50 calls were still pending; calls had to be triaged by priority.
  • 16:37 The sheriff said EMA staff were sleeping at the EMA building before conditions deteriorated so they would already be in place.
  • 17:02 The sheriff described taking 4 hours to get out of his own road because of blocked and dangerous conditions, illustrating how widespread access problems were.
  • 17:15 He said there had been 2 weather-related deaths so far, fewer than feared given the scale of the storm, but cautioned that more consequences might still surface because some people remained difficult to reach.
  • 17:31 As late as two days earlier, the rescue squad cut access to a home to remove a man who had not eaten in 2 days.
  • 18:02 The sheriff emphasized cross-agency cooperation among law enforcement, fire, EMS, and EMA, and thanked commissioners who personally assisted with welfare checks, deliveries, and EOC support.
  • 19:09 He said the county had operated 5 warming stations and sheltered more than 150 people while also feeding and monitoring them.
  • 20:42 He said planning was already underway for the next several days, showing the incident was still active rather than over.

Facilities / maintenance support during the storm 21:10

  • 21:21 Committee leadership and emergency officials praised Facilities/maintenance support for responding off duty, bringing needed equipment access, and helping emergency operations despite dangerous conditions.
  • 22:09 Maintenance was also credited with trying to get a generator operating at EMS Station 1, though that effort could not be completed in time.
  • 22:28 Matthew Barnhill was thanked for ensuring cleanup and janitorial work at the East Community Center after its use during the response.

Communications, dispatch, and emergency coordination issues 22:57

  • 23:04 Jordan Sachs was noted as being embedded in emergency operations with a computer station during the response.
  • 23:39 Jesse Woodall and Valerie Wood were recognized after arriving mid-meeting.
  • 23:47 Dispatch was described as overwhelmed by call volume, which led EMA to establish a separate hotline for welfare checks so those calls would not all route through dispatch.
  • 24:06 Valerie Wood reportedly maintained 15 pages of spreadsheet entries tracking welfare checks, contact information, and assignments.
  • 24:38 The sheriff said the storm also exposed failures that need fixing:
    • Within about 20 to 24 hours, the county lost radio communications.
    • Roads to the tower site were too bad to reach immediately.
    • The county now has a clearer picture of what communications weaknesses must be corrected.
  • 25:17 The sheriff urged that generators for EMS stations be treated as an important priority, not a convenience item.
    • Without power, ambulance-bay doors and station operations are impaired.
    • Fuel at the east station could not be pumped because there was no electricity.
    • The county depended temporarily on a private fuel truck to refill patrol cars and ambulances.
  • 26:10 He said that although funding is tight, generator installation at EMS stations should be pursued in the near future.

Committee Discussion on Storm Response, Recognition, and Follow-up Needs 26:23

After-action review and operational culture 26:23

  • 26:35 Committee leadership said an after-action review was certain and should include both the strong performance and the deficiencies revealed by the storm.
  • 27:15 Leadership highlighted the lack of ego inside the EOC as a key reason operations stayed coordinated across agencies.
  • 27:34 Pete Tibbs and Sarah Stewart were specifically credited for the planning done before the event, which leadership said was what made the response work during the event.

Recognition of support roles, especially Valerie Wood 28:25

  • 28:31 Jason Pierce was again praised for volunteering into the emergency-management structure despite not being part of day-to-day EOC staffing.
  • 29:21 Valerie Wood received the strongest individual recognition of the meeting.
    • Leadership said that if a resident received a welfare check, food, shelter placement, or some other coordinated help, Valerie Wood was often the one routing and organizing it.
    • 30:50 She reportedly worked more than 100 hours, sleeping only lightly with her phone alerts turned up so worried relatives from out of state could still reach someone about family members in the county.
    • She was described as allowing field responders and EMA leadership to stay focused on their own tasks because she handled incoming coordination.
  • 31:31 Valerie Wood stood for recognition from the room.

Assessment of impact and why county performance drew outside attention 32:17

  • 32:24 Members noted that some EMA staff left their own flooded homes and kitchens to continue serving the county, using that as an example of personal sacrifice.
  • 33:09 Committee leadership said other counties were changing their own response models based on Hickman County’s emergency-management approach.
  • 33:54 The county was described as moving so quickly through life-safety operations that state and federal resources had not yet transitioned with them into debris-removal mode.
  • 34:35 EMA explained that crews initially available were assigned to “cut and throw” work for emergency access, not debris cleanup.
  • 34:57 To begin cleanup, those same resources have to be reassigned to “chipping and moving” operations.
  • 35:12 Because Hickman County was ahead of many other counties, there was a temporary lull while state resource assignments caught up.
  • 35:30 EMA said some transition had begun the previous day, more was expected the next day, and debris removal from roads and yards would start ramping up.

Budget pressure and emergency spending concerns 35:50

  • 35:50 The sheriff said the storm burned through favors, fuel, time, and emergency resources.
  • 36:11 He said he was surprised how much progress had been made given the severity of road conditions and lingering inaccessible areas.
  • 37:09 In comparing this storm to the 1994 ice storm, officials said the current event was worse because it was colder, more prolonged, and more widespread.
  • 39:22 Committee leadership warned that EMS, the sheriff’s office, and EMA had likely exhausted overtime and badly damaged fuel budgets.
  • 39:49 Members said staff had not yet had time to calculate the full overruns because they were still in active response mode, but a deficit was expected.
  • 40:26 The sheriff was cited as having rented 2 skid steers for a week to meet immediate needs; officials defended such spending as necessary because operational decisions could not wait for monthly meetings.
  • 41:09 Leadership said the county should eventually recognize these agencies with more than thanks because they made critical decisions under pressure and kept the county functioning.

Jesse Woodall remarks on planning culture 41:15

  • 41:29 Jesse Woodall echoed that all involved agencies act like family but turn fully to business when needed.
  • 41:47 He said that by about 6:00 a.m. Sunday, once everyone reached the EOC, there was no confusion about roles.
  • 42:10 He stressed that what the public sees during a disaster comes from repeated “what if” planning beforehand, and that this storm showed why daily preparedness work matters.

Broader committee praise 43:23

  • 43:29 Members praised all emergency personnel and said the meeting showed the practical value of prevention, preparation, and interagency coordination.
  • 44:23 One member said the event clearly did not succeed by “flying by the seat of your pants,” but through advance work done long before snow and ice arrived.

Announcements and Future Discussion Items 44:48

  • 44:48 Announcement of a 6:00 p.m. meeting the next night at the 911 building.
  • 45:02 The chair said years of work had gone into communications changes, and the county still had much to discuss after the storm exposed remaining weaknesses.
  • 45:33 Members were told not to attend expecting an immediate money request, but to understand the needs so later budget decisions would be better informed.
  • 45:49 The chair said the meeting would not be on video because communications equipment would be in use and attendance would need to be in person.

Generator, Fuel, and Communications Infrastructure Discussion 45:56

EMS station generators 45:56

  • 46:05 A member asked for a cost range on generators discussed earlier for EMS facilities.
  • 46:12 Response: exact pricing depends on state compliance requirements, load calculations, and whether systems are three-phase or single-phase.
  • 46:59 Members recalled prior rough estimates around $40,000 for a three-phase installation, though officials cautioned costs may have changed.
  • 47:52 Emergency officials said they were looking at a total of 4 generators across emergency-service needs, with 2 specifically needed for EMS.
  • 48:28 One member estimated that funding such needs might equate to roughly 2 to 2.5 cents on the property tax rate for one year, though this was discussed informally rather than as a proposal.
  • 46:33 Officials said they had been trying to pre-plan and gather hard numbers for a future commission request but did not yet have final figures to distribute.

911 / Nine Mile Ridge tower fuel and generator shortcomings 48:44

  • 48:44 Committee leadership said the after-action review would likely identify communications weaknesses without assigning blame.
  • 49:11 One specific issue raised was the fuel-tank capacity at the Nine Mile Ridge communications site.
  • 49:20 Officials said the existing tank and generator setup had only about 44 hours of runtime if full when the event started, which was not enough for a prolonged outage.
  • 49:45 Leadership suggested that instead of a 200-gallon tank, the site may need something in the 850- to 1,000-gallon range.
  • 50:03 The sheriff said that even after renting 2 skid steers and assigning 2 operators, it still took about 2 days to clear the road enough to reach the site — after an initial delay of roughly another 2 days before they even had those machines available.
  • 50:54 The county first used a 5,000 kW Honda generator to get at least the radio system operating enough to function.
  • 51:15 Staff then had to refuel that setup about every 6 hours until a diesel generator could be brought in.
  • 51:46 Once ice melted, mud became the next access problem, requiring gravel to be brought in so a fuel truck could reach the site.
  • 52:18 Officials said they learned in real time that one generator was burning about 5 gallons per hour of propane — a planning detail they had not previously appreciated.
  • 52:51 Members said this was not a case of negligence; rather, the storm introduced extreme variables that revealed vulnerabilities ordinary planning had not fully captured.

Additional clarification on generator count 53:09

  • 53:09 A member asked again whether the discussion involved 4 generators, confirming the scale of what emergency services had been considering.

Solid Waste report 54:43

Solid Waste / debris preparation 54:43

  • 55:05 Jordan Sachs said Solid Waste had been busy and that employees worked through the severe weather period.
  • 55:21 During the latter part of the week, Solid Waste reopened convenience centers and cleaned up the landfill so the county would be ready to accept vegetation debris from the storm.
  • 55:38 Committee leadership added that Jordan Sachs had also been deeply involved in planning the debris-removal process from inside the EOC.

Additional Public and Member Comments 56:17

  • 56:30 The chair invited any final discussion while the committee remained in a more informal debrief setting.
  • 56:50 A member of the public/attendee described being trapped in and said he had not heard of any county or utility department responding to calls with impatience despite the strain they were under.
  • 57:44 Committee leadership agreed that exhausted crews — including electrical utility workers — had still dealt professionally with frightened or frustrated residents.

Adjournment 58:21

  • 58:21 Motion made to adjourn.
  • 58:34 Meeting adjourned.

Key figures and statistics

Figure Type Context / topic Timestamp
12 present Attendance Roll call 4:07
2 absent Attendance Roll call 4:07
November Month / minutes Additional prior minutes approved along with January 5:35
January Month / minutes Additional prior minutes approved 5:54
241 Runs EMS October call volume 7:01
$113,424.80 Collections EMS October collections 7:01
$123,239 Charges EMS October charges 7:09
12–0 Vote Approval of EMS October report/numbers 7:49
2 absent Vote status EMS October report vote 8:00
90 days Time period Two major disasters in that span 8:10
115 Calls EMS emergency calls during storm period 10:36
Jan. 24–28 Date range Storm response period cited by EMS 10:36
3 hours Duration Some EMS calls took this long 10:50
72 hours Duration Some staff worked continuously that long 12:17
4th crew Staffing Additional EMS crew added during storm 12:29
12 hours Shift length Office staff minimum storm workday cited 13:13
18 hours Shift length Office staff maximum storm workday cited 13:13
8 days Time period Sheriff’s description of disaster period 15:19
40 to 50 Pending calls Sheriff’s backlog at one point 16:12
4 hours Duration Time for sheriff to get out from his road 17:02
2 Deaths Weather-related deaths reported 17:15
2 days Duration Man had gone without eating before rescue 17:37
5 warming stations Facility count Warming centers operated 19:01
150+ people Shelter population Residents housed/fed during storm 19:09
15 pages Records volume Welfare-check spreadsheet maintained 24:06
20 to 24 hours Duration Time until communications were lost 24:46
100+ hours Work hours Valerie Wood’s reported storm workload 30:50
1994 Year Prior ice storm used for comparison 37:09
90% Percentage County initially without power 37:35
10% Percentage County still without power three days earlier 37:52
200 Service count Fewer than this many power outages remained 37:59
48 degrees Temperature Weather after the 1994 storm, by comparison 39:06
2 skid steers Equipment count Rentals used for emergency road/tower access 40:26
6:00 a.m. Time EOC fully assembled and working Sunday morning 41:47
6:00 p.m. Meeting time Next-night 911 meeting announcement 44:48
2010 Year Approximate start of communications-change effort 45:08
2011 or 2012 Year range Further time reference on communications commitment 45:08
$40,000 Cost estimate Rough prior estimate for a three-phase generator installation 46:59
4 generators Equipment count Total emergency-service generator need under discussion 48:05
2 generators Equipment count EMS-specific generator need 47:52
2 to 2.5 cents Tax rate estimate Informal estimate for one-year funding impact 48:28
1 year Time period Tax estimate discussed over this span 48:35
44 hours Runtime Nine Mile Ridge generator/tank endurance 49:27
200 gallons Tank size Existing tank size cited for tower site 49:45
850 to 1,000 gallons Tank size Suggested upgraded fuel capacity for tower site 49:45
2 days Duration Time to clear road enough to reach tower after equipment obtained 50:10
2 days Delay Approximate delay before skid steers were available 50:15
4 days Duration Total time to get tower back on, as described 50:20
20 minutes Duration Estimated helicopter access time jokingly referenced 50:30
5,000 kW Generator size Honda generator used to get radio system operating 50:54
6 hours Refueling interval Gas refill cycle for temporary setup 51:15
5 gallons per hour Fuel burn rate Propane consumption learned during event 52:18