Lauderdale County first responders will be better prepared to handle the unexpected as the county looks to expand its arsenal of tools through a number of funding opportunities.

In a meeting Monday, April 1, the Board of Supervisors approved a request from Lauderdale County Emergency Management Director Odie Barrett to apply for a grant from the Department of Homeland Security to purchase equipment for the county’s dive team. The $73,290 grant will cover up to 80% of the cost with the county responsible for paying the remaining 20%, he said.

“That money is going to be used to outfit the more expensive side of our dive team with fully encapsulated dry suits,” he said. “It also goes along with the training to get the certification for those suits.”

The total cost to the county, Barrett said, is estimated at around $14,600.

Lauderdale County’s volunteer fire departments have also received some new tools, Barrett said, with many of the departments receiving new jaws of life. The hydraulic cutters are used to cut through wreckage when needed to rescue victims from car wrecks, collapses or other disasters where they cannot be retrieved.

These jaws, he said, are battery operated, which make them much more convenient to use in an emergency situation, as there is no need to wrestle with long cords, generators and other equipment needed to power the device.

“If you’ve had to work off the roadway and you’ve had to drag these engines and pumps with you, and half the time you’re fighting with the crank,” he said, “This was a huge blessing for everyone in Lauderdale County.”

Funding for the new tools, which cost roughly $12,000 each, was part of an appropriations bill in the state Legislature during the 2023 legislative session. The appropriation provided each of the county’s fire departments with $20,000 to spend on new equipment.

Supervisor Josh Todd said a big thank you is owed to Reps. Billy Adam Calvert and Steve Horne, as well as Sen. Jeff Tate, for their efforts directing the funds toward the county’s fire departments.

“Those three were instrumental on pushing this through and getting it started for Lauderdale County,” Barrett said. “There’s some more things in the works, haven’t got it yet, but I’m looking forward to what the future is going to hold for the fire and for emergency management.”

Although it is not funded by the county, first responders will soon add more accurate storm data to their tool kits with a new weather radar installation set to come online later this month. The radar, which provides coverage from ground level to 8,000 feet, is being installed by Climavision, which collects, packages and sells weather data.

Barrett in November, said the new data will fill a hole in the county’s current monitoring abilities as radar systems covering the county now only go down to roughly 10,000 feet above ground. Having a lower view will help emergency management planners get a better idea of local conditions and more accurately issue critical warnings to the public.

Climavision’s radar is up and running in LEMA’s office, Barrett said Monday, and a grand opening event to celebrate the new system is in the works for later this month.