Lowndes Co. implements mutual aid agreement with Industrial Fire and Rescue
LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – The Lowndes County Board of Supervisors executed a mutual aid agreement with the new Industrial Fire and Rescue station funded by Steel Dynamics.
This is to ensure all hands are on deck in case of an emergency by implementing firefighters from the Industrial Fire and the Volunteer District 5 fire departments.
Lowndes County and Industrial Fire will be able to combine their efforts to better serve the needs around the industrial park.
“Our struggles with volunteer fire departments are that we have a lag time for them to get off work or to respond,” said Station Manager Neal Austin. “This is going to be staffed, so they’ll be here ready to go. So that’s going to be a good timesaver for the industrial area out here because we’re a long way from Columbus, so it takes a little while to get out here. So this has been a need for a little while, and this would be a good adjustment.”
This $10 million facility is privately funded by Steel Dynamics and will provide fire service within the industrial park.
Station Manager Neal Austin said this station will be manned with professional fire crews and medics, along with four full-time workers right up front.
He says they will also provide training for volunteers in the area, which will benefit the county as a whole.
Lowndes County Board of Supervisors President Trip Hairston says this will help those within the park with insurance ratings as well as sustaining lives in the event of an emergency.
The mutual aid agreement makes this an “all hands on deck” approach.
“So if there’s a major event, then everybody will be on site and there’s nobody that is worried about territorial issues when it comes to response,” said Hairston. “If there is a major event and, you know, heaven forbid, we don’t like to see that happen, but if there is one, we want to have some comfort level that people are there and ready to respond. That’s why these mutual agreements are so important.”
Hairston says typically, the new fire department will only respond to emergencies within the industrial park. But with the agreement in place, it allows them to be able to respond to other areas if needed.
“Those guys and gals are running to the fire to save lives, to save property,” Hairston says. “This allows them some freedoms to be able to do what they are itching to do when it comes to responding to a fire. We’re very grateful for the people who have that as a profession, and certainly want to not have any barriers in the way when it comes to an all-hands-on-deck event. And this allows that to happen.”
“This is a big fire department. It’s got a high-capacity pumps on the truck,” Austin said. “We’re designed for industrial response. So there’s a lot of influx of traffic out here. There’s a lot of industry out here. And the county, as well as everybody out here, wants the best protection they can get. And we’re going to try to help provide that.”
Austin said this will be a pilot, and they could possibly take this model to other parts of Lowndes County.
Around 30 paid employees will staff Industrial Fire and Rescue.
They are in the process of hiring now in order to open soon. There is not a confirmed start date yet.
Hairston says having former County Fire Coordinator Neal Austin at SDI has helped make the transition seamless.
