1-TENNESSEE TOWN & CITY/SEPTEMBER 19, 2011 www.TML1.org 6,250 subscribers www.TML1.org Volume 62, Number 15 September 19, 2011 Remembering the fallen Commemorating 10 years since 9/11 tragedy Firefighters lost in the line of agement, and Jimmy Tuberville, of zations across Inside This Issue: duty in Tennessee, along with those the Milledgeville Volunteer Fire De- Tennessee: lost during the 9/11 tragedy, were partment, were lost in the line of duty Tennessee Page 1 honored at the Tennessee Fire Ser- in 2010. Fire Chiefs Federal Transportation Bill vice and Codes Enforcement Acad- Commerce and Insurance Association, passes U.S. House emy on Sept. 10. Deputy Commissioner Steven Tennessee To honor all fallen firefighters in Majchrzak delivered remarks at the Fireman’s As- Page 5 Tennessee, a bronze statue of a event. “At Commerce and Insurance sociation, August State Revenues firefighter was unveiled in the center – which includes the Tennessee Tennessee of the Fallen Firefighter Memorial. State Fire Marshal’s office – we Fire Service Page 7 In addition, a bronze beam from the cherish our ongoing efforts to train and Codes En- Summary of 2011 Public World Trade Center was unveiled to firefighters and to honor those who forcement Acts honor the 343 firefighters lost in the nobly give their lives in the line of Academy, the 9/11 terror attacks. duty,” said Majchrzak. Tennessee Page 10 During the ceremony, the Saturday’s memorial was part Chapter of the Bristol Speedway names of two Tennessee firefighters of the “Everyone Goes Home” International Celebrates 50th Anniversary were added to the Fallen Firefighter weekend at the academy. During the Association of Memorial. Buford Delwin Lee, of weekend, the academy offered Arson Investi- Marshall County Emergency Man- safety classes to firefighters, de- gators, Ten- signed to prevent any more names nessee Fed- from being added to the fallen eration of Fire firefighters’ list. Chaplains and FHWA eliminates deadlines Founded in 2002, the Tennessee the Tennessee Fallen Firefighter Memorial (TFFM) Professional to traffic sign regulations Committee comprises individuals Firefighters Association. Cities to upgrade signs at end of life cycle from the various fire service organi- A bronze beam from the World Trade Center was U.S. Transportation Secretary unveiled at the Tennessee Fire Service and Codes Ray LaHood announced that the Academy to honor the 343 firefighters lost in the Obama Administration is eliminat- 9/11 terror attacks. ing dozens of burdensome regula- tions on traffic signs which cash- strapped state and local govern- ments expect will save them mil- lions of dollars. The U.S. Depart- ment of Transportation is propos- ing that communities replace traffic signs when they are worn out rather than requiring signs to be replaced by a specific deadline.The proposed changes will eliminate 46 deadlines mandated by federal traffic control regulations. and traffic signals. The Federal In January, President Obama Highway Administration (FHWA), called for an unprecedented gov- which has published the manual ernment-wide review of regulations since 1971, updates it periodically to already on the books. The purpose accommodate changing transporta- was to identify rules that needed to tion needs and address new safety be changed or removed because technologies, traffic control tools, they were unnecessary, out-of- and traffic management techniques. date, excessively burdensome or FHWA issued a Notice of Pro- overly costly. posed Amendments to eliminate 46 “A specific deadline for replac- of the deadlines in the manual. ing street signs makes no sense and “Local and state transportation would have cost communities agencies are best-equipped to deter- across America millions of dollars mine when they need to replace in unnecessary expenses,” said signs and other items in the course Secretary LaHood. “After speaking of their daily work,” said FHWA with local and state officials across Administrator Victor Mendez. “We the country, we are proposing to are proposing these changes to give eliminate these burdensome regula- them the flexibility they need to bal- To honor all fallen firefighters in Tennessee, a bronze statue of a firefighter was unveiled in the center of tions. It’s just plain common ance their many responsibilities and the Fallen Firefighter Memorial. Photos by Jeff Huddleston, Tennessee Fire Marshal’s Office sense.” make the best use of taxpayer dol- The regulations establishing lars.” deadlines for street and traffic sign The deadlines requiring that Tennessee’s College act emphasizes replacement came from the Manual certain street name signs be replaced on Uniform Traffic Control De- by 2018 to meet minimum retro- vices (MUTCD), which is a compi- reflectivity standards and requiring preparation, connection, rewards lation of national standards for all larger lettering on those street name pavement markings, street signs See SIGNS on Page 6 BY VICTORIA SOUTH TML Communications Coordinator President calls for clean Across the nation, the image of fresh-faced high school graduates, Transportation extension collegiately ripe for the picking, is fading. Today’s facts are much BY LESLIE WOLLACK more sobering. A recently released Nation’s Cities Weekly At press time, the U.S. House report compiled by ACT (American passed a short term bill to ex- College Testing) “The Condition of NLC joined transportation ad- tend FAA and surface trans- College and Career Readiness,” indi- vocates across the nation in endors- portation programs, including cates only one in four (25 percent) of ing President Obama’s call for Con- the gas tax. The Senate is ex- high school students met all four gress to enact a clean extension of pected to pass it before the College Readiness Benchmarks and federal surface transportation pro- deadline. just under one in three (30 percent) grams when they return to Washing- met the College Readiness Bench- ton following the August recess. country, it represents the difference mark in Science. Highlighting state- Acknowledging that there will between making ends meet and not wide data on ACT scores, academic be no time to make policy changes to making ends meet.” achievement and post-secondary the current program before the Sept. A statement from NLC calling aspirations, the report indicates that 30 expiration deadline, the President for a clean extension of the federal in Tennessee alone, public high called for a clean extension of cur- surface transportation programs school students’ composite ACT rent programs without policy also noted that while a short-term scores dropped from 19.1 in 2010 to A recently released report compiled by ACT (American College Test- changes. extension and renewal of the federal 19.0 out of 36 in 2011. Across the ing) “The Condition of College and Career Readiness,” indicates 75 “As you know, the current gasoline tax in the legislation would state, only 24 percent of students are percent of Tennessee’s high school students lack the basic knowledge short-term legislation funding the solve the immediate crisis of cutting college ready in math, 55 percent in to take college core subjects without remedial help. highway, transit and bridge pro- off federal construction funds and English, 38 percent in reading and 17 grams will expire on Sept. 30th and costing communities hundreds of percent in Science. Additionally, 75 Morgan agrees. “We cannot con- the state’s diminished fiscal capacity federal authority to collect federal thousands of jobs, the real goal is a percent of Tennessee’s high school tinue to provide remediation as a to support higher education. fuel taxes will expire as well. Feder- long-term transportation plan for in- students lack the basic knowledge to stop-gap for poor high school out- One of CCTA’s key compo- ally funded construction projects vesting in the nation’s infrastructure take college core subjects without comes. It is imperative that our insti- nents is a new funding formula will be forced to cease immediately if and helping build local economies. remedial help. tutions work closely with our high based on concrete outcomes, re- the U.S. Department of Transporta- “The extension will prevent In the past, the Tennessee Board schools, our current teachers and warding schools financially for tion can no longer release federal hundreds of thousands of workers of Regents has buffered the blow, our future teachers to help improve graduation rates, rather than a for- transportation dollars,” President from being forced off the job and spending $26 million a year on reme- preparation,” he said. mula that was largely enrollment Obama said. keep much-needed infrastructure dial and developmental courses to Touted as landmark education driven. Its measures are designed to Noting the value to the projects moving forward during this help currently enrolled students at reform initiated by the Bredesen improve student success rates by economy, the President said, “This difficult economic period,” reads Higher Ed institutions become “col- Administration in 2010, the Com- establishing clearly identified cur- bill provides funding for highway the NLC statement. lege ready.” plete College Tennessee Act of 2010 riculum that will transfer from com- construction, bridge repair, mass NLC’s statement continued, “College readiness is not an is- (CCTA), is geared to eliminate reme- munity colleges to four-year univer- transit systems and other essential “While a short-term extension is sue determined in the 11th grade, but dial and developmental courses at sities and establishes dual missions projects that keep our people and our necessary to prevent disruptions, is the culmination of an entire system Tennessee’s universities. The at community colleges and universi- commerce moving quickly and the nation needs a long-term plan for of education,” notes Tennessee Edu- plan’s core embraces the need for ties simultaneously. safely. And for construction work- investing in our nation’s infrastruc- cation Commissioner Kevin Tennesseans to be better educated While Tennessee’s community ers and their families across the See TRANSPORTION on Page 6 Huffman.