Release:
Lowndes County Fire Rescue and Moody Air Force Base signed an agreement for automatic aid in fire and emergency services in Valdosta, Georgia, Oct. 4, 2021.
The agreement was made to enhance fire protection capabilities in the unincorporated areas of Lowndes County, while providing structural firefighting training and experience between the Airmen assigned to the 23rd Civil Engineer Squadron at Moody AFB, and the Lowndes County firefighters.
“This automatic aid with Moody Air Force Base is a true win for those living in the unincorporated areas of Lowndes County,” said Lloyd Green, Lowndes County Fire Rescue fire chief. “Automatic aid increases the chances to save lives and property.”
In addition to shortening emergency response times, the partnership will enable Lowndes County and Moody fire departments to share their diverse skill sets with each other and strengthen their capabilities. Furthermore, it will increase availability of staff officers for the incident command system in the event of major incidents and will help with the Insurance Services Organization (ISO) class rating for Lowndes County Fire and Rescue.
“I am extremely proud of the Lowndes County Fire and Rescue and where they’ve come, where they’re going, how we’re growing to better serve this community, and certainly now an opportunity that we have to be able to partner with Moody Air Force Base and be able to take advantage of some training opportunities and be able to better serve our citizens up in the north end,” said Bill Slaughter, Lowndes County Commissioners chairman.
Slaughter and Col. Russ Cook, 23rd Wing commander, signed the agreement side-by-side, a testament to the bond between the two communities.
“The word trust was mentioned, and that’s what this whole thing was built on—trust that we have with each other, with each other’s departments and how we interact and work together,” Cook said. “I’m really looking forward to seeing our folks interact with each other. You guys have experience that my team doesn’t have, and I know my team has some experiences that you guys might not have seen before.”
Moody AFB and Lowndes County will continue working together, building upon the trust to strengthen both communities.
