Guided by Light: Lakeland’s New Tower Elevates Emergency Preparedness: UPDATED
By Carol A. Gasser Moore |
LAKELAND, Lanier County, Georgia – A significant milestone has been reached in Lakeland. The City of Lakeland and the Lanier County Sheriff’s Office efforts have enhanced emergency response capabilities countywide. This week, lighting systems were installed on the new area emergency communications tower located in Lakeland. The new 300-foot emergency communications tower is situated behind the Dollar General store on South Valdosta Road.
All regional emergency communications towers were hard hit during the Hurricane Helene storm. In the weeks and months following the storm, all area governments recognized a need to improve and better prepare for the kind of “perfect storm” that Hurricane Helene proved to be, but didn’t do anything.
When those governments didn’t take the lead, Sheriff Norton took it upon his self to contact Lakeland’s Mayor Darsey and work out a tower agreement. Afterward all area governments started including other city and county emergency operators and our school system. The project’s main focus was to bring back together the city and county fire departments. The later failed due to the county not wanting to combine with the city and share manpower and resources, and improve its response time, and fire and rescue coverage.
E911 calls during the Hurricane Helene storm were disrupted and emergency call staff struggled to reach the area’s emergency services because of the problem.
This new improved, much stronger and much taller communications tower nearly a year in development, was constructed to replace the previous structure that sustained severe damage during Hurricane Helene. That storm compromised emergency communications, highlighting the need for a more resilient infrastructure. The new tower aims to provide reliable communication channels for first responders, including the Lakeland Fire and Rescue Department, Lanier County Emergency Management Agency, Lakeland Police Department, Lanier County Sheriff’s Office, and Lanier County Fire Department although the county would not come back together with the city fire department.
The lighting installation was carried out by Tower Maintenance Corporation based in Douglas, Georgia.
The tower project has been totally paid for in full by the Lanier County Sheriff’s Office and the City of Lakeland, who split the cost equally. The total cost for the new emergency communications tower is $98,375.00. The Sheriff paid his part through his seizure fund totaling $49,187.50 costing taxpayer nothing, but saving the county an estimated $200,000.00 by not doing it alone. Others will pay their share by adding fencing, power, building to house equipment and cooling units, grounds and maintenance, generators and their share of installing their agencies antenna on the tower.
The Lanier County Emergency Management Agency was not involved with the emergency communications tower project.
For more information contact the City of Lakeland or the Lanier County Sheriff’s Office.
This new infrastructure is expected to significantly improve emergency response times and coordination during critical situations in the region.
Dramatic photos of persons
on the 300′ emergency communications tower
installing lights.
