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Russell County board chair asks board to expand emergency-response training for students, cites generator grant and shelter plans
Summary
At a school board meeting, the board chair urged the board to develop emergency-management and CPR training for students across the three high schools and described recent grants and community partnerships to expand sheltering and backup power.
The board chair of the Russell County School Board asked the board to consider a program to offer emergency-management training, Red Cross certification and CPR instruction to students at all three county high schools, saying the certifications could serve as career pathways and give students community-service credit.
The request was presented during the board’s regular meeting. The chair said the goal is to give students vocational options — including a direct path to EMT and other emergency-care careers — and to strengthen community resilience when storms or other disasters strike.
The chair described several items already under way: a grant from Wellsprings to place backup generators at 21 locations across the county; plans for three to five facilities that could be used to house people after disasters; and local partnerships with fire departments, rescue squads and faith-based organizations that operate food pantries and other relief efforts. The chair said those resources helped county residents who traveled to assist severely damaged areas in neighboring localities after recent storms and forestry damage.
The chair also said they have discussed developing a formal emergency-management training program with Southwest Virginia Community College and suggested that the county’s emergency management personnel could teach parts of the curriculum. The chair noted that certifications could improve students’ resumes and increase post‑graduation employment opportunities locally.
The chair framed the proposal as part of a broader workforce and economic strategy: keeping students in the county by offering short-term certificates in technical fields as an alternative to four‑year college. The chair referenced recent and pending industrial recruitment wins, naming Tate Enterprises and Sandman’s as recent employers in the area and saying two more deals were closed but not yet announced.
The board chair described an upcoming trip to Washington, D.C., to discuss the governor’s Accelerate Southwest Virginia program and invited board members to suggest priorities for that visit.
No formal motion or vote on the proposed student training program was recorded during the meeting; the item was presented as a request for the board’s consideration and further discussion.
