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Mitchell County honors building inspector; emergency management outlines preparedness app and wildfire plans
Summary
Commissioners presented Dylan Phillips with the North Carolina Building Inspectors Association district award. Emergency Management Director Andrew Groove reviewed a revised Emergency Operations Plan, wildfire pre-planning and the Mitchell Ready app (1,287 downloads; 91,228 interactions).
Jason Rogers, area director for the North Carolina Building Inspectors Association, presented Dylan Phillips with the association’s district Building Inspector of the Year award, praising Phillips’ rapid completion of certification and his response during recent floods.
The recognition underscored local officials’ appreciation for county staff who remained on duty during extreme weather. “Dylan was presented with the building inspector of the year award,” Rogers said, noting the honor reflects both examination achievements and community service.
After the presentation, Emergency Management Director Andrew Groove gave a departmental update on preparedness and recovery efforts since the storms. Groove said the office completed a full revision of Mitchell County’s Emergency Operations Plan and has developed detailed wildfire-preparation plans that include mapped helicopter drop points, GPS mapping of water points and preplanned fire lines for high-risk areas.
Groove also described the county’s recent release of the Mitchell Ready smartphone app as part of outreach and preparedness goals. The app has recorded 1,287 downloads and 91,228 interactions since launch; Groove said the county’s goal is 5,000 downloads and the team is pushing outreach to schools and public venues.
The emergency management report included operational numbers: the office has responded to roughly 273 calls year to date involving incidents from illegal burns and structure fires to technical rescues and EMS assists. Groove highlighted two near-term projects — a wildfire support trailer to carry tools and PPE and a mobile radio cache to improve communications during multi-agency incidents.
The board thanked emergency management staff for their work and invited questions about the plans and app outreach. The presentation concluded with commissioners applauding both the award for the building inspector and the department’s continuing preparedness efforts.
