FIREFIGHTERS AND POLICEMEN HONORED WITH BARBECUE

Firefighters enjoy the food provided by ARI.

Porter Brewer and Flossie McDaniel man the grill

Chew-Chew Bar-B-Q, the American Rail Car Industries' Safety Committee, wanted to find some way to say "thank you" to the dedicated members of Jackson's Fire and Police departments.

Brad Golden, Jackson fire chief, was quite surprised and pleased when he learned their thank you would come in the way of a free meal prepared by members of the committee Monday at the Fire Department headquarters.

Dean Sawyer, co-chairman of the safety committee, expressed his appreciation to committee members who gave their time for this event.

"We're very proud of our Police and Fire departments," Sawyer said, "and we wanted to do this as a way of saying thanks." He's hoping that other industries will take note of ARI's efforts and find ways to show appreciation to public service organizations in the Jackson area.

Laura Klinkhardt, the other co-chair of the committee, said their organization was formed to promote safety in the workplace.

"All departments are covered with a representative from each one," she said. "It's our goal to have people report to work and go home without being injured."

The committee was formed in January. Nineteen members from first and second shift already participate in committee functions and plans are under way to include third shift as well.

"A lot of people in Jackson don't even know ARI is here," Klinkhardt said. "We employ a lot of people from Jackson and the surrounding area," she added.

Sawyer attributes much of the committee's success to ARI plant manager, Brian Blankenship. With Blankenship's support, the bar-b-que grill was built at the ARI site, which made it easier for all members to participate in the construction. Sawyer and the rest of the committee members are quite proud of their grill. "We even searched the Internet to find what we needed to know about grilling," Sawyer said.

The grill is equipped with a rotisserie so a whole hog can be roasted in addition to the hamburgers and hot dogs served to the Police and Fire departments. There is even a built-in warming tray which kept peppers and onions hot for the bratwurst which was also grilled.

The Chew-Chew Bar-B-Q Safety Committee intends to take the grill to area fairs and festivals to promote ARI and its safety programs.

Fundraisers are also being planned. According to Sawyer the money from these fundraisers will be given to charity at the end of the year.

The grill itself may be rented. "The money from the rental will go to charity also," Sawyer said. Anyone interested in renting the grill may contact Dean Sawyer at 243-8179.