Waldrep: VFDs, weather alerts too vital to ignore

Aug. 28--MOULTON -- Lawrence County's new Emergency Management Agency director plans to emphasize the importance of volunteer fire departments and use the latest technology to ensure residents are prepared for inclement weather and other emergencies.

"I'd like to offer more training to fire departments and public safety officers. Also, we need to have entire communities focus on the importance of volunteer fire departments and assess what they need to adequately respond to emergency calls and wrecks in those areas," said Chris Waldrep, 47. He said a strong fire department will be able to save lives and property while reducing residents' home insurance premiums.

A longtime sheriff's deputy and lead investigator, Waldrep was hired July 27 after the death of EMA Director Johnny Cantrell on May 1.

Waldrep said technology will continue to evolve and it will take financial resources to keep up with the best methods to protect the county.

"I want to help Lawrence County secure grants to help protect our citizens," he said. "It's important for the EMA and others to know which agencies have drones and other up-to-date resources. Technology will continue to improve to help the emergency management agencies provide better planning and response."

He said the county's free public safety app that launched July 15 includes an EMA section that aims to keep the public informed on being prepared for emergency events, especially severe weather.

He said inclement weather -- tornadoes, severe thunderstorms and flooding -- is the No. 1 threat to the county's residents and property.

He listed a COVID-19 outbreak, a truck or rail accident involving hazardous materials and an incident at Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant across the Tennessee River as other potential safety issues the county could face.

"What are the protocols at the storm shelters around the county?" he said. "They'll be subjecting people to forgo the 6-foot distancing because of the coronavirus. COVID-19 is reshaping everything we do. We need to stay up to speed on safety protocols."

He said he has been studying the fiscal 2020 budget of $108,775 for his department to see how to better use the money and whether to ask the County Commission for more funding in fiscal 2021.

"I'm trying to look over what I need in this department," he said. "With Johnny's passing, not a lot has been done in the past couple of months."

He said he's been calling officials with Browns Ferry and the Tennessee Valley Authority to establish rapport and coordinate drills. He said EMA notifications will be posted on social media and in area newspapers and on local televisions stations.

He said sheriff's deputies' roles in bad weather are often overlooked in the county.

"The deputies act as storm spotters. They're reporting what they see," he said.

That action saves lives, Waldrep said.

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Disaster experience

He is no stranger to natural disasters. Waldrep remembers times when he was out all night dealing with damage from tornadoes, hurricanes and floods.

"I've seen and worked just about every natural disaster this county has had since 2000," he said.

In 2003, Waldrep said he almost became a victim of a storm when he was in a patrol car at a scene where a fallen tree was blocking the roadway.

"While I was awaiting a road crew, another tree fell on my car and trapped me inside," he said. "The Hatton Volunteer Fire Department had to cut me out of the car."

He also remembers doing extensive work after a tornado in the Aldridge Grove community in the southeastern portion of the county in 2007 and being site commander in Langtown in 2011 when a cluster of tornadoes killed 14 people in Lawrence County, including five in Mount Hope.

On Dec. 16, 2019, Waldrep was one of the many authorities working the aftermath of an EF2 tornado that led to three deaths and several injuries along Blue Hollow Road, south of Town Creek.

"Seeing the way people of this county come together to help out in natural disasters is inspiring," he said. "People are very quick to help one another here."

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Landing new job

Being in law enforcement the past 20 years in Lawrence County helped Waldrep, who holds a bachelor's degree from North Alabama in criminal justice and sociology, land the EMA director's position.

After the County Commission interviewed 16 candidates last month, District 2 Commissioner Norman Pool made the motion to hire Waldrep.

Pool said he's been impressed with Waldrep's professional demeanor in law enforcement.

"He's been a county employee for about 20 years and I know he'll do an excellent job," Pool said. "Some of the other applicants were well qualified, too, and they would have done an excellent job. But here's a guy who has been a loyal county employee. I think we ought to promote from within the county when we can. We made the right decision to hire Chris. The other four commissioners must have agreed. He got their votes, too."

Besides his tenure with the Lawrence County Sheriff's Office, Waldrep has worked for the Moulton and Town Creek police departments.

His new role pays him $45,000 annually, according to county records.

Northwest Alabama Division Coordinator Eddie Porter said Waldrep brings a lot of emergency experience with him.

"He told me he was a little worried because he had so much to learn and I disagreed," Porter said. "He's been responding to emergency situations 20 years as a law enforcement officer. Now he's just in a little different position handling emergencies. We look forward to his service."

-- [email protected] or 256-340-2442. Twitter @DD_Wetzel.

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