I usually love it when a Brentwood school or schools makes “a list.” On Thursday I saw one that didn’t mention Brentwood at all. And I couldn’t be happier.

The latest online edition of the TSSAA News includes a roundup of rules violations by member high schools' sports teams and/or coaches. It’s eye-opening reading.

“Head coach ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct” (there were more than 30 of these); “Fans and players came onto playing floor during an altercation” (almost as many girls games as boys included here); “Altercation with fans after the game” (oh, those zany parents); “Use of non-faculty coaches” and others.

In all, the list filled five pages. So happy it jumped from Boyd Buchanan to Briarcrest Christian and from Raleigh Egypt to Rhea County without skipping a beat.

Fire department's dreaming of a bright Christmas
It’s only May but I can assure you the Brentwood Fire & Rescue Department is already dreaming of a bright Christmas; a bright red one to be exact.

The City Commission recently approved the purchase of a new “Engine 1” to replace the current one – a 13-year-old model with 100,000 miles. Now, that may not sound like a lot when you think about car miles, but I know if my house was the one on fire, I’d probably like the newest model possible speeding over from from Maryland Farms to Meadowlake.

“This engine will be unique to our fleet and somewhat of a new concept for Brentwood,” Asst. Chief Brian Goss told me. He went on to describe everything it could do, from “vehicle extrication” to “rope rescue.” He didn’t mention fixing dinner but from the sound of it, I’m pretty sure it could whip up a gourmet meal for three shifts if it had to.

What’s going to take it so long to get here, though?

“Unlike a Chevy or Honda, you cannot simply drive to the lot and pick one out. Fire apparatus is custom built to the customer’s specifications,” the chief said.

So, if all goes well, Santa’s sleigh could arrive in Brentwood complete with ladders and hoses and wheels and lots of other cool stuff.

Lovin' our Public Works workers
Kudos and a big shout out to all of our Public Works employees, who have been going above and beyond in the past few weeks. They’ve been starting a daybreak all week and working 12-hour shifts to help homeowners clear household debris from the recent floods.

The city continues to learn of residents who continue to discover damage from the May 1-2 storms, and it continues to encourage anyone with damage to call and report it. Assistant City Manager Kirk Bednar said Thursday that the bulk of calls coming in now are “addresses we had not identified.” And the city has received 60 new names from the Red Cross, which is surveying communities for damages.

You also need to report damages if you have items you need to picked up by the public works crews. The number to call is 371-0080.

Susan Taylor Leathers is editor of Brentwood Home Page. Contact her at susan@brentwoodhomepage.com. To read recent BrentWord columns, click here.