The public safety committee of the Augusta Commission voted unanimously to form a review panel to study the presentment, which was released earlier this month.

The report harshly criticizes Augusta's fire department under former Chief Ronnie Few and calls for changes to the department's personnel and equipment policies.

"As far as a policy change, I don't think we can do that without going through committee," said Public Safety Chairman Marion Williams. "I'm very interested in trying to look at the fire department as a whole."

Mr. Williams, Commissioner Tommy Boyles, Fire Chief Al Gillespie and City Administrator George Kolb will comprise the subcommittee.

At the end of the 124-page report, the special grand jury recommends 13 department changes.

Chief Gillespie prepared a fire department response to those recommendations last week, saying several of the suggested changes had been implemented before the report's release, including new promotional procedures and plans for renovations to city fire stations.

Commissioner Steve Shepard, who placed discussion of the grand jury report on Monday's public safety agenda, said elected officials should prepare a response of their own.

"We receive policy recommendations from all over," Mr. Shepard said, adding that commissioners needed to "sort out" the grand jury's proposals.

But several commissioners said they were opposed to talking about the report without putting it through the subcommittee process.

"A report of this nature, there needs to be some structure as to how we deal with it," said Commissioner Lee Beard, describing the presentment's language as inflammatory.

Reach Heidi Coryell Williams at (706) 823-3215 or heidi.williams@augustachronicle.com.