Page 126 - South Mississippi Living - July, 2018

FIRST RESPONDERS to the rescue
EMERGENCY
story by Susan Ruddiman photos courtesy of Earl Etheridge
As the fifth most populated county in Mississippi, Jackson County covers 1,043 square miles with
a population of around 141,200. When a disaster occurs,
people turn to the Office of Emergency Services for help.
With 42 years of experience, Earl Etheridge is the department director. “In 2013, the Jackson County Board
of Supervisors took three separate offices — the Jackson County Fire Department, Emergency Operations and Homeland Security — and formed the Office of Emergency Services,” he said.
There are 41 full-time employees
on the payroll, 39 are in the fire department and the other two handle the emergency operations along with a part time person. Etheridge is the lone Homeland Security director. The Office of Emergency Services follows a mission of preparedness to plan
and train, to respond as quickly as possible, to recover and clean up after events, and mitigation to lessen the effects of a hazard.
The needs of Jackson County have evolved as the population has grown. The county has four municipalities — Moss Point, Pascagoula, Gautier and Ocean Springs. However, its largest unincorporated area has a population that exceeds the county seat of Pascagoula. “The county is going from more rural to more urban. Our highest
JACKSON COUNTY OFFICE OF
READY FOR ALL EVENTS
126 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • July 2018
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EARL ETHERIDGE, right, director of Jackson County Office of Emergency Services, meets with Gov. Phil Bryant during Hurricane Nate in the fall of 2017.
population center is over 28,000 people in the St. Martin area, which is in West Jackson County,” Etheridge said.
Also in the mix when preparing for emergencies are Interstate 10, U.S. Highway 90 and two main railroad tracks that transport hazardous materials; many industrial complexes, especially in East Jackson County; and the coastal setting with the Pascagoula River basin which is made up of 31 percent water.
Etheridge has six high water rescue boats spread throughout the county, two shallow water rescue boats and
one bay boat and a high angle rescue trailer that can be used for industrial rescues. “My paid staff is trained in hazardous materials, high angle and rope rescues and a lot of specialized training,” he said.
And there is a truck set up to respond to hazardous material spills. “We are here to protect the citizens, and the Department of Environmental Quality then cleans up the spill,” he said.
The most notable role of the Office of Emergency Services kicks in when there is a large rain event, tropical storm or hurricane threatening the