消防安全vs. business interests in Ohio township
In Marseilles, Ohio, township residents and trustees have differing views concerning the fire codes that should apply to the large agricultural industries that have been growing in number in that area. In contention is an offer reportedly made by AgriGeneral Co. L.P. (now Buckeye Egg Farm) to give the township $100,000 for fire equipment if the officials agree not to adopt for five years local fire codes that would apply to the corporate egg farm. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has levied penalties of $1.072 million against the company`s Croton, Ohio, facility for various conditions that constitute health and safety threats to employees.
"We can`t see tying down our department/town for five years," Chief Max Kennedy, of the Marseilles Fire Department, says. "It appears that there is no [concern about] safety in mind." The department is a volunteer organization consisting of 26 members. "The volunteers," explains Chief Kennedy, "voted to accept the Mid-Ohio code" (which is predominately the BOCA code with some special considerations that apply to mega agricultural firms, according to Marseilles Mayor Janice Kennedy).
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