Malia Riggs
Elmore Autauga News
Mid-South RC&D made the rounds through Autauga County Tuesday morning with Alabama Senator Clyde Chambliss to celebrate the 2024 Projects for Autauga County.
RC&D is a non-profit organization that includes nine councils of volunteers from different communities. The nine councils serve all 67 counties, and each volunteer helps to identify the needs within small and big communities and help the legislature narrow down the applications. Just in 2024 alone, Mid-South RC&D has awarded over $42,000 in grants within Autauga County.
The first celebration started at the Billingsley Volunteer Fire Department where a $5,000 grant was awarded for their thermal drone in their Air Support Project. This drone, a DJI Mavic 3T Enterprise drone has the ability to take video, photos, mapping software, show hot spots, help in seeing through smoke and low light conditions, and provide eyes in the air for the ones fighting on the ground in almost any situation.
Billingsley Fire Chief Jared Bonebrake confirms this drone has already been used in structural fires and wildland fires in the area and will continue to help bridge the gap of volunteer fire departments and the people they serve.
We’ve used this in structure fires and wildland fires to be able to pick up hot spots and know where we need to be working. We’ve also called out several search and rescues that we can throw this in the air and be able to see people wherever they’re at with a thermal image that gives us heat signatures. I’d like to thank our Senator Chambliss and Representative Van Smith for helping us out with this,” Bonebrake said.
The media day continued the celebration at the Pine Level Volunteer Fire Department, where the department received a grant of over $15,000 for their new vehicle extrication equipment. Fire Chief Austin Worchester, who is also a Pine Level councilman, confirmed that the Pine Level Volunteer Fire Department is the busiest in the county, responding to about 1200 calls a year.
The extraction equipment is used three to four times a month, Worchester confirms. Aside from the territory that the two Pine Level stations cover, they also cover the entirety of I-65 in Autauga County.
There are two extraction tools that sit on two respective quick response vehicles. These extraction tools can pop the door, cut side posts away, flip the roof back, and aid in any other heavy pushing with a force of over 10,000 lbs.
“When somebody’s critically injured, we operate in what they call the golden hour, which means from the time of the accident until they’re in an emergency department on their way to a surgeon. If they, if we can get them there within an hour, their odds of survival go way up,” Worchester said.
Every minute you save getting someone out counts, Worchester stated.
Chambliss thanked both Bonebrake and Worchester for their service and everything they and their volunteers do to keep the community safe.
“If it wasn’t for grants, we don’t survive,” Worchester said
The last stop on the tour was at Marbury High School, where the Marbury High School NorthStar Band received a $22,250 grant for new instruments and uniforms.
The halls were filled with the sounds of the Marbury fight song as Chambliss and Mid-South RC&D members entered the band room, a sea of instruments and royal blue. The students played the fight song as well as the ESPN theme song in their brand-new uniforms and instruments.
“It’s more than just the look, it’s about the community, when we have these new shiny uniforms, it makes us look good, sound good, but it’s an image for the community to see as well. This shows that we have pride in what we do, and we have pride in the music that we perform, so we’re extremely excited about the uniforms,” Marbury High School band and choir director Brett Johnson said.
The Marbury music and band program is one of the most prestigious programs in the river region that has won many state and national accolades in recent years.
From students being a part of All State Choir competitions, to the marching band marching into their most winningest season, with perfect scores in four separate competitions last October. Last year was one of the most winningest seasons in NorthStar’s marching band history.
“We’re excited to debut these uniforms for our football games on the new turf and our band contests this year,” Johnson said.
