Lowe's donates trailer to city

The Lowe's company has donated an enclosed trailer to the city of Dyersburg that will be used as a mobile command post in the event of an emergency, according to Tommy Gibbons, director of Dyersburg Emergency Management.

Gibbons said the single-axle trailer will be used to store equipment and will also hold specialized communications equipment that will support most emergency situations that should occur. It will be made available to the fire, police and public works departments and also to agencies that have entered into a mutual-aid agreement with Dyersburg.

"We are fortunate to have a community-oriented company such as Lowe's to provide such a valuable piece of equipment," Gibbons said.

Public-safety communications director Mark Grant said, "We now have the ability to set up wired and wireless phones, two-way radios, wireless Internet connections and support for the infrastructure of a mobile command post. The emergency-response trailer will contain the equipment and will allow a quicker response time in the event of an emergency."

According to Dyersburg police chief Bobby Williamson, some of the equipment purchased for the emergency-response trailer was made possible through a $10,000 grant received from the Western District of the U.S. Attorney's Office in Memphis. The emergency-communications grant was awarded to the city in July.

"We will remain proactive in seeking resources that can be used to effectively respond to a disaster, and we thank Lowe's for their contribution," Williamson said.