When we think of firefighters, we think of brave men and women rushing into burning buildings and performing great acts of heroism, but Hall County Fire Rescue takes their purpose statement to heart. For them, “improving lives through excellent service,” extends beyond life-saving measures and into the ordinary ways people help other people. This was evident the Monday morning after Christmas.
On Dec. 26, the Hall County compactor sites reopened after the holiday weekend to mounds of garbage at the entrances.
“It took over six hours for us to clear the illegally dumped waste,” said Hall County Sanitation Supervisor Nate Smith about the several compactor sites where residents had illegally dumped bags of garbage over the holiday. “I have to commend my staff for their work ethic and diligence in doing whatever is necessary to keep Hall County clean.”
The sanitation staff got a helping hand when Hall County Fire Rescue Station 9 saw the Candler compactor site on Poplar Springs Road on their return from another call and stopped to assist with clean up (pictured).
“It’s wonderful to know Hall County employees at every level truly embody the Hall County organizational values and serve beyond what is required of them,” said Assistant County Administrator Katie Crumley.
Smith has since installed cameras and signage at several of the compactor sites and commented “the behavior is not only illegal, it’s dangerous and it’s disrespectful to the community, to the environment, and to our employees. We hope by providing better signage and communication we can encourage people to use the sites when they’re open and visit the landfill when they’re not.”
For information on the landfill and compactor site locations, hours, and accepted items, residents can click here.