Tuesday, February 9, 2010 | DeKalb County's Oldest Newspaper |
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Consider small town first responders
Published July 24, 2008
Jim Walker, Alabama’s director of Homeland Security, wants Washington’s help with a significant problem in our state, and we could not agree more.
Earlier this week, Walker told a subcommittee of the House Committee on Homeland Security that small towns are being forgotten when it comes to training for possible attacks or, more importantly, natural disasters. Large, urban areas, it seems, have plenty of manpower to cover for those away receiving special training. Small police, fire and EMA departments, like those throughout DeKalb County, simply cannot spare folks when it comes to send them for training.
In many cases, taking a police officer off the street for training means there will be no police officers on the street.
It may seem unlikely any type of terrorist attack would take place in or around DeKalb County. That’s probably right, but with the possibility of Hollywood’s nuclear plant moving forward, the likeliness is somewhat higher.
What is a strong possibility is a natural disaster that could create major hardships in our area. Over the last decade we have seen deadly tornadoes, a 100-year flood and even a significant earthquake. It’s not a question of if those events will happen again; it’s a question of when. And, they all could be stronger.
We appreciate Walker telling Congress of the difficult situations facing small-town first-responders. Often they are overlooked. We hope now Congress will take Walker’s words and put them into action.
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The Fort Payne Times-Journal | Publisher: J.D. Davidson
811 Greenhill Blvd.NW, Fort Payne, Alabama 35967 | Tel: 256-845-2550 | Email
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