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Pulaski County ratifies local emergency, outlines recovery progress and public‑safety gains
Summary
The Board ratified a recent local emergency declaration related to winter storms, heard updates on flood and storm recovery funds and mitigation work, and public‑safety officials reported faster response times and new staffing and equipment plans.
Pulaski County’s Board of Supervisors on Monday moved to ratify a recent local emergency declaration tied to a winter storm and received updates on recovery, mitigation and public‑safety improvements.
Emergency management coordinator Brad Wright told the board that recovery work from the storm and related events is ongoing and that the county has been working to secure and disburse recovery funds. He described a near‑term waterline relocation project on Hazel Hollow Road and the refurbishment of a DMS auxiliary building to store special‑operations and mitigation equipment. Wright said the county is managing recovery grants and noted continuing work on mitigation and homeowner assistance funded in part through donations and partner grants.
“We should, within the next couple of months, have most of that recovery process done as far as public assistance recovery,” Wright said, describing efforts to get funds into homeowners’ hands and to complete mitigation projects.
The board also heard from fire and rescue leadership. Pulaski County Fire Rescue reported improvements in response performance: Chief Brandon Hamlin said that, where applicable, Tuscan Fire Rescue lowered average response time from 13.19 to 8.78 minutes. Hamlin announced the hiring of the county’s first fire marshal, Zach Dunigan, and said the board would consider adopting the statewide fire prevention code to give the fire marshal authority to carry out duties.
Sean Hite, director of public safety, reported EMS and 9‑1‑1 metrics: the county handled thousands of 9‑1‑1 calls in 2025 and cited a median EMS response time under 10 minutes; Hite also described the county’s rural community paramedic program and a pediatric care program placed on a path toward broader recognition.
The board approved the emergency‑declaration ratification by voice vote. No new emergency spending was authorized in the public session; staff said grant and recovery funds are being processed and that further administrative steps will follow as funds arrive and projects are scheduled.
