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EMA requests pay increases for part‑timers, hazardous-materials training and compliant drones
Summary
Coffee County Emergency Management Agency asked the committee for part‑time pay increases, training funds for a HAZMAT specialist and funds or capital-project guidance to replace noncompliant drones with DoD‑compliant units.
Alan Lindley, director of Emergency Management Agency (EMA), briefed committee members on Jan. 23 about higher call volumes, credentialing needs, hazardous‑materials supplies and an equipment proposal to replace non‑compliant drones.
Lindley said 2024 call volume rose compared with recent years and that he included a 10% placeholder in his budget for cost‑of‑living adjustments and asked for an increase to the EMA’s part‑time line so part‑time staff — currently paid about $12 an hour — could be raised toward $16 an hour. Lindley noted two part‑time EMA staff also work full time at Arnold Air Force Base.
On training, Lindley said his deputy director is pursuing hazardous‑materials specialist certification that requires several weeks of out‑of‑state training (National Fire Academy and additional out‑of‑state classes) and that the county has only one existing HAZMAT specialist. He asked for an increase to the hazmat supplies line and pointed to rising costs: fully encapsulating protective suits now cost about $2,000 and have a five‑year shelf life.
Lindley described the department’s existing drones as DJI models that are not on the federal “blue list” and therefore not compliant for some operations; he said the agency is looking at Skydio drones that the vendor quotes at roughly $20,000 each and that Skydio offers a trade‑in/buyback program for older models. Lindley said Homeland Security grant funds cannot be used to buy drones and that the department will continue to seek other grants or capital‑project funding.
Committee members asked about part‑time pay parity with EMS and whether partner agencies could help fund equipment. Lindley said the department has letters of support for drone use from partner agencies and that the drone proposals include FLIR/thermal, zoom and loudspeaker capabilities to support search, hazmat and law enforcement tasks.
Ending: Lindley’s request will feed into the committee’s broader budget work; the department did not seek a committee vote on capital purchases at the meeting.
