By Allen | AuxBeacon News Contributor

Knoxville Fire Department Fails in Follow-up to Inspection of CAP Headquarters in Tennessee

Over two years ago, the Knoxville Fire Department conducted a fire safety inspection of the Civil Air Patrol’s Tennessee Wing headquarters.

That inspection was done by Donna Ogle, who wrote up five pages of discrepancies she found.

But since that time, there has been no follow-up on the inspection report by the KFD, and that the Civil Air Patrol has made little or no effort to correct the deficiencies noted in the fire department’s report.

In an email message, Knoxville Fire Chief Carlos Perez wrote, “No one, including government or charities, should be getting special treatment to violate the fire codes of the city. The dangers are to the community and it’s people, who we are sworn to protect.”

Interestingly, the former fire chief of the Knoxville Fire Department is Ed Cureton, who at the time he was fire chief was also the wing commander of the CAP’s Tennessee Wing. And Cureton’s wife, Pat, continues to serve on the Wing staff of the Tennessee Wing.

Despite the fact that Chief Perez made his email response to a former Tennessee Wing member over six weeks ago, there has still been no follow-up or compliance inspection of the Wing’s headquarters by the KFD.

Chief Perez was unavailable for comment yesterday.

The CAP’s Tennessee Wing has a post office box for a mailing address, but the Wing headquarters — now commanded by CAP Col James Rushing — is located within the corporate limits of the City of Knoxville, at 1147 Sevier Avenue.

And although a copy of Ms. Ogle’s report should have been sent to the CAP’s national headquarters, there has apparently been no effort by the CAP to follow-up on the report, or to correct the deficiencies that were noted.