(Atlantic) Cass is one of three counties across the state awarded the Iowa Economic Development Authority received a grant to test an innovative program to decrease emergency response times in rural Iowa.
Cass County Emergency Management Director Mike Kennon says the program is spearheaded by Mayor Grace Garrett, council member Elaine Otte, partnering with Beth Olsen, and Cass County Public Health. The pilot program equips volunteers throughout the county to respond quickly to an emergency.
Kennon says the state awarded Cass County $28,073.00 and ten go-bags, including defibrillators, tourniquets, and other medical equipment used by these volunteers throughout the county. The local match is $25,000, funded through ARPA funding.
Kennon says part of the program involves installing technology into the Cass County Communications Dispatch system. Kennon says the volunteers in the field will have a smartphone with an app, and the CAD system will determine the closest five volunteers to an incident; they will be notified and can indicate that they can respond.
Kennon says the counties are in the early stages of planning, and the next order of business is to gather the partners together, determine how many volunteers are needed, and where they will be located.
