Emergency management: Alleghany to receive about $225,000 in FEMA public assistance; dispatch staffing and training improved

Daniel Rodman, Alleghany County emergency management coordinator, told commissioners the county’s completed FEMA public-assistance application for Tropical Storm Helene totaled about $225,000. He said a small portion will reimburse county overtime costs, while the majority will reimburse volunteer organizations that performed debris removal and response work.

“Most of that will be used to reimburse the volunteer organizations, the rescue squad and fire departments,” Rodman said, and he added the state sign-off had been delayed in Washington, D.C., but that the county expects to receive the funds in mid-October and distribute them to eligible organizations.

Rodman also reported operational improvements in the county 9-1-1 dispatch center. He said the county now has an EMD-certified dispatcher on every shift and that the dispatch team recently coached a bystander through CPR that helped save a life. He described new quality-assurance plans with EMS that will use interactive training scenarios and said work is underway to create a fully mirrored backup 9-1-1 center in a secondary facility.

Rodman, who also serves as the president of the North Carolina Emergency Management Association, said the association had helped oppose a state bill that would have changed local emergency response control; he credited that work with preserving local control.

Commissioners praised the emergency management staff and emphasized the importance of dispatch operations. No formal board action was required on the report.