Gilmer County’s next Emergency Management Agency (EMA) director is getting ready to trade the Georgia coastline for the mountains.
Sharon Courson will relocate here from Glynn County, where she’s currently the deputy EMA director.
“I was the deputy EMA director in Wayne County, where I worked for five years. I came over to Glynn County, which includes the Brunswick and St. Simons area, two years ago,” she added.
“I have visited (friends in) the Gilmer area several times, and it’s such a beautiful community.”
Courson said her first night working in the emergency management field was as a volunteer when Hurricane Matthew hit the coast in 2016.
“I started as a volunteer, but within a week, I had a job that went from part-time job to full time. Realizing I could help people and get paid for it as a job was a wonderful place to be,” she said. “I’ve always had a heart for volunteering, and in EMA, there are lots of things you can do to work with volunteer agencies to help out in the community.”
One of her goals is to help get a functioning Community Emergency Response Training (CERT) program started back here. Gilmer previously had this program, in which citizens train to assist with emergency management tasks in the event of a natural disaster, but it has since lapsed.
“I’m very passionate about search and rescue. We have a great team down here, and I’m the coordinator for the team. I heard they had interest in creating a team, (up) there or at least having some kind of regional team,” Courson said. “I recently got certified to teach CERT, and we started a team here. When I came up to Gilmer County and met everybody, they were really excited about continuing that (program). The enthusiasm was there, and it seems like we could create a great team of volunteers to assist all the first responders in emergency situations.”
Courson, who was officially hired by the board of commissioners last week, is expected to start working as Gilmer’s EMA director Aug. 19.
“I’m looking forward (to it) and excited that I’m going to be up there before apple season,” she said. “I feel like Gilmer County has this great spirit. Everybody I’ve talked to has been very eager to work together. It sounds like it’s going to be a great, cohesive place to work.”