Tanning Bed Must Be Removed From 9-1-1 Call Center

ROGERSVILLE, Tenn. -- Hawkins County officials are taking a dim view of their emergency dispatchers using tanning beds.

The Hawkins County 911 Board voted Thursday that the tanning bed, which employees bought with their own money, must be removed from the Central Dispatch center. The center handles emergency calls for fire and law enforcement departments.

County Commissioner Syble Vaughan-Trent said she was concerned about taxpayer outrage.
"It's the impression it leaves as much as it is the money involved, but I think taxpayers are going to be highly upset to find out their money is paying utility costs for a tanning bed at 911," Vaughan-Trent said.

Board chairman Chili Sanders said he approved putting the tanning bed on county property.
"The employees paid for it, and I told them they could put it in there, but they cannot use it while they're on the clock," Sanders told his fellow board members. "Our employees sit for 12 hours, and they get kind of stiff, so they go in there after clocking out. They say it helps -- the heat on their back."