The Dawson County Fire Department/EMA recently purchased 26 new Type V rescue life jackets, with the goal of making rescue personnel safer when responding to calls involving water.
Fire Chief Danny Thompson said the life jackets are strategically placed in all of the paid apparatuses throughout the county and several staff vehicles, as well.
Since Dawson County has 60 shoreline miles on Lake Lanier, five river and numerous creeks and ponds, the life jackets are a necessary for emergency personnel, according to Thompson.
"This is kind of phase one, to me, part of a three phase project. With us having five major rivers here inside Dawson County, we have typically about two water rescues a month during the peak season. We're really looking at trying to transition and turn to a swiftwater rescue team," Thompson said. "That's really something that will just better serve the citizens and those individuals that find themselves out there on kayaks or tubes and needing assistance to get off the rivers or even potentially the lake."
For example, in May, a rescue in fast-moving waters on the Etowah River was more challenging because rescue personnel had no life jackets.
"We had a couple of kayakers who were trapped on the Etowah and our personnel were out there and unfortunately our personnel did not have that safety equipment needed to ensure their safety so they could continue to provide for the safety of the citizens who were out there trapped," said Thompson. "So this will be that extra tool that we needed to ensure our safety to be able to effectively do our job."
The money for the life jackets were included in the department's allotted budget from the Dawson County Board of Commissioners.
