The mobile cascade trailer will permit the squad to respond to the scene of any large scale emergency and fill air bottles of the dive team and/or fire departments. Capt. David Short and Lt. Bob Short of the Claiborne County Rescue Squad said that the equipment was desperately needed and long overdue. They said the non-firefighting rescue squads have been left out of the grant process in the past. While the fire departments have been able to obtain well needed grants to purchase vehicles and equipment over the last three or four years, the rescue squad has not. They said that the Claiborne County Rescue Squad was a non-firefighting department by choice. The primary mission of the Claiborne Rescue Squad is water rescue and recovery, extrication, and other search and rescue type missions. Capt. Short said Claiborne County had excellent fire departments which provide fire protection and the Rescue Squad would not get involved in firefighting.
"[The] Rescue Squad works hand-in-hand with all emergency departments and whenever and whatever the Squad was needed for - they will be there. Cooperation is the key to success," he said.
"It's important for the citizens to know that the rescue squad and fire departments; with the exception of the city fire departments, are non-paid volunteers and must raise funds to operate so that we can help protect the citizens of Claiborne County," said Lt. Short. County Mayor Virgil Herrell said that he was proud that homeland security funds could be used to purchase this equipment. He said the volunteers of the Rescue Squad and volunteer fire departments of the county were a dedicated hard working group of men and women who gave it their all, in the protection of others and that everyone needed to support them however they could.
David Breeding, with the Claiborne County Homeland Security, said that the volunteers played a key role in the protection of not only Claiborne County, but the entire Homeland Security Region which consist of 16 counties.
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