By Fred Guarino
The Lowndes Signal

The Lowndesboro Volunteer Fire Department, which now boasts 13 certified firefighters, can also boast the latest technology in hand-held communications radios thanks to Lowndes County Sheriff John Williams.

Williams, who serves as point of contract for Homeland Security in Lowndes County, presented 10 new-in-the-box, narrow-band, hand-held radios to the Lowndesboro Volunteer Fire Department, which he secured through the Department of Homeland Security.  The presentation was made at the last meeting of the Lowndes County Commission on Monday, Aug. 27.

Lowndesboro Town Council member and volunteer fireman David Spooner said now “everybody that needs one will have a radio” in his department.

“The more radios we have, the more people that listen in to the emergencies, the more people that can respond. It’s definitely is going to help a lot,” he said.

Lowndesboro Council member James Adams added that the new radios are “the latest technology, the latest thing… narrow-band.”

Captain Chris West, in charge of special operations for the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Department, said there was a small kitty of Homeland Security funds for Lowndes County that could be used to “purchase equipment for first responders like this right here.”

West said the Lowndesboro Volunteer Fire Department asked for radios in the past and turned in their old radios to get some new ones, but never received them.

West said Dennis Bair, another Lowndesboro council member and volunteer fireman, asked about the radios. And once Homeland Security said what the funds could be used for, “We went ahead and got them the radios,” he said.

The radios are  “going to be a great deal to the city of Lowndesboro and not only the city of Lowndesboro, but a great deal to the county of Lowndes,” Williams said.

“Those guys really worked hard to get to where they are… And I know they have the most certified… 13 certified (firefighters),” said Commission Chairman Robert Harris of the Lowndesboro Volunteer Fire Department. “

And that pretty much means that they can go and do pretty much anything,” he said.