The Knox City Council meets today for a regular meeting at 7 p.m. at Knox City Hall with a light agenda that includes only one item for discussion: insurance benefits for a fireman who was injured on the job. Mayor Rick Chambers said the fireman was injured while investigating a fire when he tripped and fell over some debris, twisting an ankle and preventing him from working his full-time job.
Chambers said the fireman is employed at a factory and has since been unable to work due to his injury. The problem is, the city’s insurance will only pay $300 a week to reimburse him for employment benefits, but Chambers said the employee makes significantly more than that at his full-time job, where he has been unable to work for several weeks.
Chambers is currently waiting on a response from the insurance company as he investigates the possibility of increasing their benefits. He said he previously thought injured employees would receive compensation for being unable to work their full-time job, as the Knox-Center Township Fire Department is all volunteer. However, because he has not yet received a response, he said, the council may not be able to discuss the matter in depth.
