Ivey awards grants to train Alabama first responders

The state has awarded three grants worth $239,000 to help train local first responders. Gov. Kay Ivey announced. The new training will focus on 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,” Ivey said. “Our first responders are called on to do so much to serve and protect our communities, and this training will help them more safely respond to emergency calls.”

ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell also said the new funding is important for first responders.

“First responders should be provided with the training and equipment needed to handle life-threatening situations,” he said. “ADECA is glad to join Gov. Ivey in support of this training for law enforcement officers and other emergency responders.”

The grants were awarded to:

• 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.

Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News.