Federal Trucks Help Emergency Teams
One of the beneficiaries of the nationwide buildup is Middle Georgia. Bibb and Houston counties each were awarded a massive search-and-rescue truck that can be used for recovering victims from collapsed buildings, hazardous-materials spills, and other types of emergencies.
Houston got its truck in April, and Bibb is scheduled to receive its vehicle later this year.
There are only a handful of these tractor-trailer-sized vehicles nationwide, but 10 are in Georgia, where state officials decided it was in their best interest to have the response teams available immediately.
"We felt like we needed it," said Lisa Ray, a spokeswoman for GEMA.
"After an analysis of our capabilities, we felt like there was a big gap. If Peachtree Center (in Atlanta) was attacked by terrorists, we'd have to wait too long for the federal teams to get here."
One of the ways Georgia organized its response teams was through a regional approach. Bibb and Houston are the leading counties in the Central Georgia Search and Rescue Team, which includes firefighters and paramedics.
In order to receive the truck, as part of its agreement with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Houston loaned out the vehicle to federal emergency management officials for use at the G-8 Summit in Savannah and Sea Island.
Although there were no major terrorist activities during the week of the G-8 Summit, federal, state and local officials took great steps to prepare in case of such an attack, sending hundreds of troops and law-enforcement personnel to coastal Georgia.
Since the search-and-rescue truck's return to Middle Georgia in June, Houston's emergency responders have been getting trained in how to use the vehicle and load it with supplies, said county fire chief Jimmy Williams.
"It's an awesome truck," Williams said. "This is a cut above a typical heavy-rescue vehicle."
The truck cost about $336,000, and was entirely paid for with federal homeland security money.
In the Southeast, only Memphis, Tenn., and Miami have similar trucks.
Robins Air Force Base may have been a factor in the decision to award Houston the truck, Williams said. But more likely the kicker for Houston was its central location in the state.
"It's like they say in real estate: location, location, location," Williams said. "We can get to I-75 here and Ga. 96, and there's access to I-16."
Georgia had been trying to improve its emergency-response capabilities for several years before the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Ray said. From 1989, when the state's buildup began in earnest, through the present, Georgia has obtained about $134.9 million in federal funds to upgrade its emergency teams.
Since the 2001 terrorist attacks, the state has focused on improving response teams at the local level.
About 80 percent of all federal funds since 2001 have gone to local agencies, such as sheriff's departments and fire departments, Ray said.