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County emergency responders unveil new emergency preparedness trailer – The Clanton Advertiser

County rescue workers unveil new crisis response trailer

Published on Wednesday, August 21, 2024, 2:22 p.m.

By Carey Reeder | Senior Editor

Chilton County Delegates and emergency personnel unveiled the newest pieces of equipment that will go a long way in protecting and caring for the citizens of Chilton County and the surrounding area. The new Chilton County Incident Response Trailer was unveiled at an event at the Chilton County Jail on August 16 to showcase it and all of its features.

A command trailer or response trailer is used by local agencies in emergency situations such as natural disasters, dramatic accidents, or search and rescue operations. They serve as a base for the agency while they are on the scene, and most have technological capabilities to make the job easier for emergency personnel. The old command trailer for Chilton County was essentially a trailer with a bathroom and a table in it.

The need for a new response trailer in the county has grown significantly over the past five to 10 years due to advances in technology. Nic Bolton, director of the Chilton County Emergency Management Agency (EMA), knew this, and when he and others planned the EMA budget for the 2023-2024 fiscal year, he was determined to get something, one way or another. He budgeted $100,000 for a new trailer, but barely had to dip into those funds to make the final purchase.

Bolton and Major Ken Harmon of the Chilton County Sheriff's Office began working on a grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and its Homeland Security Grant Program through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency serves as the state administrative agency for the HSGP, and the purpose of the program is to “provide funds to eligible entities to support state, local, tribal and territorial efforts to prevent terrorism and other disasters and to prepare the nation for the threats and hazards that pose the greatest risk to the security of the United States,” according to the program's website. The grants are highly competitive, with numerous agencies across the state vying for the funds.

Bolton and Harmon developed the application and worked on its specifications, looking back at incidents and scenes they had responded to in the past where a trailer would have been beneficial. They considered what technology would also need to be on the trailer and worked with Chilton County E911 Director Trae Caton and Chilton County Sheriff John Shearon to ensure all emergency services would have everything they needed on the trailer.

“We're so grateful to have such a (great piece of equipment),” Caton said. “It may look like nothing more than a trailer with an awning and a tower from the outside, but there's a tremendous amount of technology inside.”

Bolton said the grant application process through ALEA was straightforward and that the agency had representatives available to answer questions or talk throughout the process. Bolton took advantage of this and had several conversations with ALEA to figure out what information would be best to place in certain areas of the application and more.

“It was a lot of work and there was a lot of discussion (into making the trailer), but the people we worked with on it were so professional, they know what they're doing and they made sure everything went very smoothly,” Bolton said.

In the end, the county received a $180,000 grant from the ALEA Homeland Security Grant, which covered much of the cost of the trailer. The total cost of the trailer was $202,000, meaning Bolton only had to tap into a small portion of the funds he had already budgeted and set aside for the trailer, leaving a large portion of it untouched and available for other uses.

The trailer is equipped with a range of cutting-edge technologies that give emergency responders a whole new way of providing assistance in emergency situations. The trailer has its own network system, and firewalls and other technologies allow emergency responders to take the trailer anywhere and connect their computers, emergency devices and radios to the network. The trailer can connect emergency responders' P25 radio system to increase their connectivity and be able to contact anyone at any time. It can also combine multiple radio frequencies into one, which is important when working with other agencies.

“One of the biggest drawbacks in disasters today, and we see it time and time again, is that emergency responders have not been able to communicate with each other or with this agency,” Caton said. “With this trailer, we can eliminate and eliminate a lot of that by having a system that works with other agencies. We use the technology in the trailer and connect them together to make it all work.”

Avoiding these communication breakdowns between rescue teams can mean life or death in certain situations. Another example of how the trailer can be used is in search and rescue missions. The trailer can display monitors on the outside of the trailer to show where the rescue teams have searched and where they have not.

“This has never been done in Chilton County, nor have we ever had the opportunity to do it,” Caton said. “This, combined with our P25 system, will be a game changer for our county… I believe it puts us head and shoulders above others in terms of public safety and the commitment this county has to our citizens and those who visit us.”

Once safety is assured in Chilton County and emergency services are no longer needed, staff will send teams along with the response trailer to neighboring counties to assist as needed. For example, central Alabama has been hit hard by tornadoes in recent years, so Chilton County responders will not hesitate to send this trailer to help in the future. Caton said the county is fortunate to be able to house the trailer in such a central part of the state, and it will hopefully have a significant impact in Chilton County and surrounding areas as well.

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