BRENTWOOD, Tenn. ― Town of Jonesborough Fire Chief Phil Fritts received an Excellence in Risk Management Award at The Pool’s third annual Risk & Insurance Symposium, held Aug. 22 – 24 in Franklin, Tennessee.
The Tennessee Municipal League Risk Management Pool, more commonly known as The Pool, is the state’s leader in providing insurance and risk management services for municipalities and public entities.
“The Excellence in Risk Management Award honors Pool members who have demonstrated excellence, innovation, creativity and commitment to providing quality safety and risk management programs within their entities,” says Dawn Crawford, president and CEO of The Pool. “We are pleased to recognize these members who go above and beyond to improve the safety of their workplaces and communities.”
Current Pool members who have completed a program to increase safety, reduce liability exposure, or protect and preserve property are eligible for the Excellence in Risk Management Award.
Fritts has been working to address the Town of Jonesborough’s risk management for nearly a decade. He put together a claims task force for water and/or sewer issues, and has worked with the directors of these departments to increase safety and ensure proper reporting of incidents and claims. He works with department heads to help increase awareness of the importance of proper accident/incident reporting, provides training for them on this topic, and helps them through the reporting process. Fritts has formed an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) committee, has written an ADA policy for the town, and has begun a review of all of the town’s properties and programs, including the town’s transition plan, to ensure ADA compliance. He schedules safety sensitive training for various departments, and makes certain that Material Safety Data Sheets are in place and kept up-to-date at the town’s different facilities.
This year, the town’s water park was recognized for its reduction of claims and lawsuits over the past several years. Fritts works closely with the water park director to ensure that appropriate chemical-handling methods are in place and followed, along with proper breathing apparatus and training, and that the lifeguards stay vigilant in enforcing the rules of the park. He does all of this while also meeting his duties as fire chief.
“I feel confident that the town’s workers’ compensation claims, lawsuits and damage claims in general have been greatly reduced over the last several years due to Chief Fritts’ tireless efforts to make Jonesborough safer for our employees, residents, patrons and visitors,” said Craig Ford, operations director for the City of Jonesborough.
ABOUT THE POOL
The Pool is a nonprofit insurance cooperative in Tennessee that provides a broad range of insurance and risk management services for more than 90 percent of the state’s municipalities and local public agencies. With approximately 500 local government entities that participate in this voluntary, risk-sharing partnership, The Pool continuously works to enhance relationships with members to better serve their risk management and coverage needs.
The mission of The Pool is to passionately provide the very best in risk management products and services, expert claims administration and comprehensive insurance options with absolute integrity. With more than 35 years of experience in representing Tennessee municipal governments, The Pool is Tennessee’s leader in risk management services. For more information, visit www.thepool-tn.org or call 800-624-9698.
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