Burnside looks at jet ski for emergencies

Jun. 17—The main item on the agenda of two quick-hitter Burnside City Council meetings this week was annexation. But more actual time was spent discussing the possibility of getting the Burnside Fire Department a new jet ski for emergency response.

Both meetings were considered "special called," which means they had a limited focus, and only business items set on the agenda could be addressed. The regular June meeting was held last week.

On Tuesday, the council passed Ordinance no. 2022-004, stating the intent to annex a portion of Lake Cumberland shoreline, about five miles. The ultimate aim is to reach Lake Cumberland Resort III on Roberts Bend Road off of Ky. 751, near Keno. The actual annexation ordinance comes next, and that was given a first reading Tuesday, and passed in another special meeting Wednesday — all approved except councilor Randy Berry, who abstained.

These ordinances only address the shoreline annexation, not the annexation of the resort itself. That will come at a later date. Mayor Robert Lawson noted that the surveying for that property hadn't even been done yet.

There was another item on the agenda for Tuesday's meeting however — that of the jet ski request. Burnside Fire Chief James Martin came before the council inquiring about the possibility of the city purchasing a ski that the fire department could use to quickly arrive at the scene of incidents on the lake where a rescue or some other emergency action may be needed.

Martin noted that they do have boats in the water but they have to be piloted by Somerset-Pulaski County Special Response Team (SRT) personnel, as it's actually that agency's boat. Martin said he's working on getting someone of Burnside's qualified to operate the boat, which was given to SRT by the U.S. Coast Guard; SRT wants anyone driving the boat to be Coast Guard qualified, said Lawson. However, he thought it might be a good idea to have a small watercraft, such as a jet ski, that could be used to get to a scene more quickly.

The fire chief suggested a 2015 model that was originally listed at $9,000 but the owner was willing to sell the used jet ski for $8,000. They would add equipment that could help transport a drowning victim, said Martin. Lawson said he knew of another personal watercraft available for a similar price. The mayor also noted that Burnside Marina has given the city use of a slip that could regularly house the watercraft.

Debating the merits of a pontoon vs. the jet ski, the former would hold more, but would be slower getting to the scene than the latter — and the goal is to get where they're going quickly, noted Martin. Berry, however, was skeptical that a jet ski would be able to hold much weight if two firefighters of a more substantial physical size were to try to use it. He suggested something more akin to a jet boat.

"They're more stable, they're twice as fast as this little (ski)," said Berry. "I'm telling you, you get two big guys on there, that ain't going nowhere."

Lawson said that he and Martin had discussed working with the Somerset-Pulaski County Rescue Squad, but didn't feel as if that unit, SRT, and Burnside would all be able to successfully collaborate on water missions. "They've all got their pecking order ... they don't want to work together," he said, noting that the meeting "didn't go like we wanted it to."

There have been a few water rescues already this year, noted Martin, including the high-profile event from May when a woman fell from the Cumberland River Bridge into the lake. Both SRT and the Somerset-Pulaski Rescue Squad responded with their respective boats. SRT's new boat, Marine 1, had just been obtained and was already in the water and ready to go. Marine 1 got to the woman first and was able to get her on board, while the Rescue Squad brought Somerset-Pulaski County EMS personnel to the scene in their boat soon after, according to SRT Chief Doug Baker.

"SRT has the only boat in the water right now," said Lawson, later adding in response to questions about whether the jet ski could transport victims, "The SRT boat will be the first one (to the site of the emergency). ... The SRT boat would actually be bringing the victims in. The jet ski is to use to take assistance out to them or if they need something on the scene."

"You're back-up," noted councilor Carol Griffin.

"It's just (about) getting someone on the scene ASAP while you're waiting for the other boats," said Martin, who noted that the ski could be used to transport a variety of personnel — medical, EMS, fire, etc.

Martin asked the council to give him a budget and he'd look into what's available and see what might be possible in something larger than a jet ski, doing research to explore the best options. The council discussed getting a sponsorship to help pay for the watercraft, though Lawson noted that with money tight everyone right now, sponsorships are proving hard to come by — the city's Christmas Island attraction is currently facing the same problem.

"I think the reason why we went with the jet ski (initially) is because of the cost," said Lawson.

"A jet boat would be nice, but I'm trying to keep costs down," added Martin.

"I don't blame you there, but you need something more practical," responded Berry. "If you're going to spend (significant money), you need something they can use, not something they're going to get out there, go around a corner flying, hit a big wave, and three of them (fly off the watercraft)."