MONTGOMERY – Gov. Kay Ivey has awarded three grants totaling $239,000 to train first responders on how to respond to potentially dangerous situations including quickly and appropriately treating overdoses, navigating dangerous driving conditions and responding to active shooter situations.
“When the unthinkable happens, we rely on our first responders to provide life-saving assistance,” Gov. Ivey said. “Our first responders are called on to do so much to serve and protect our communities, and this is training will help them more safely respond to emergency calls.”
Below are the recipients and amounts of the grants.
The city of Cottonwood will receive $64,000 to launch a training program for first responders in the seven-county Wiregrass region on the treatment of opioid overdoses. Everyone who completes the training will also receive a naloxone antidote kit at no cost. Naloxone, known commercially as Narcan, is a life-saving medication that can rapidly reverse an opioid overdose. The Cottonwood Police Department is partnering with the Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine and Southeast Alabama Emergency Medical Services for this project. The training will be available to first responders in Barbour, Coffee, Dale, Geneva, Henry, Houston and Pike counties.
The Dothan Police Foundation will receive $145,000 to train drivers of emergency vehicles how to safely handle adverse road conditions. The Grip-Not-Slip program will provide realistic, hands-on training using both a driver training vehicle and a traffic scenario simulator. The training will be held on the driving skills pad at the Wiregrass Public Safety Center and will be available to first responders in Barbour, Coffee, Dale, Geneva, Henry, Houston and Pike counties.
The Montgomery County Commission will receive $30,000 to obtain equipment for active shooter training. The equipment and training will be available statewide to school resource officers and local, state and regional law enforcement officers.
The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs is administering the grants from funds made available by the U.S. Department of Justice.
“First responders should be provided with the training and equipment needed to handle life-threatening situations,” ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell said. “ADECA is glad to join Gov. Ivey in support of this training for law enforcement officers and other emergency responders.”
ADECA administers a wide range of programs that support law enforcement, victim programs, economic development, water resource management, energy conservation and recreation.
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