Board of Supervisors grant permission to plan Public Safety Awareness Day

John Odle approached the Pearl River County Board of Supervisors with plan for Public Safety Awareness Day

John Odle approached the Pearl River County Board of Supervisors during Wednesday’s meeting, to ask permission to plan a county wide Public Safety Awareness day.

“As everyone in the public safety field knows the trust between the public and public safety personnel has slowly decreased over the past year,” Odle said. “I’m here today because I would like help repairing the trust between the two.”

Odle, who has been a member of the Henleyfield Volunteer Fire Department for nearly seven years, presented his vision for the free event, which would include representatives from all local and state public safety agencies, demonstrations, a meet and greet, as well as concessions from local vendors. His plan is to host the event at the county fair grounds sometime in the fall of next year.

“When fire and medical personnel respond to a call the only protection they have is that which they were called there for, fire or medical. A fire fighter’s gear is not going to stop a bullet or a knife from injuring or killing them, neither is a medics’ gloves or equipment, and honestly thats not something they should be concerned about in that moment,” Odle said to the Board. “Everyone has seen the stuff that’s been happening around the country, it doesn’t happen here though, but it could. The goal of this day would be to mend that relationship by informing the public on what we do and what they can do to help us, as well as a meet and greet to give the public a chance to see some of the members of our public safety agencies around the county.”

Odle explained that the idea to host a Public Safety Awareness Day was brought to his attention by David Moore and it’s something the county has not done in quite some time.

“I think it’s a great thing. You’ve put your heart in it and you haven’t even really got started yet,” Board President, Sandy Kane Smith said. “We’ll help you anyway we can.”