Deal signs bill to designate funding for burn trauma centers

In Augusta and Columbia County today, Gov. Nathan Deal signed three bills into law. The governor signed HB 307, a bill that designates burn trauma centers treating the largest portion of significant burn cases -- at least 300 patients annually -- as designated facilities of the Georgia Trauma Care Network Commission.

“Despite Georgia’s fast-paced growth and a population of more than 9.8 million people in our state, we have only two major burn trauma centers, which bear the demand of treating patients with serious burn injuries. One center is at Doctors Hospital in Augusta; the other is at Grady Hospital in Atlanta,” said Deal. “This designation will permit Georgia Trauma Care Network Commission funding for the treatment of indigent burn victims at these burn centers.

“We must ensure our state is well-positioned to continue to provide critical care to victims of these life-threatening injuries.”

Deal signed the bill during a ceremony at the Enterprise Mill in Augusta. While there, Deal also enacted SB 240, a bill that creates a new class of motor vehicles and personal transportation vehicles (golf carts). Georgia is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of golf carts, and this legislation aims not only to promote the use of golf carts but also to support job growth in the state.

Earlier in the day during the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce’s post-legislative session breakfast at Savannah Rapids Pavilion in Martinez, he signed HB 280, which allows counties and municipalities with excess 911 funds to utilize that money for 911-related expenses. Currently that money was restricted to expenses as defined when the Georgia Emergency Telephone Act was passed in 1977, and HB 280 permits money to be spent on modern technologies. Deal was joined by Columbia County Sheriff Clay Whittle for the bill signing.

Bills can be read in their entirety at http://www.legis.ga.gov/en-US/default.aspx

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Keep Georgia Safe to Sponsor Child Abduction Response Team Training

/PRNewswire/ -- In support of Gov. Sonny Perdue's executive mandate for immediate and deliberate statewide response to missing and endangered children, Keep Georgia Safe, a private, non-profit organization that provides safety and crime prevention training and operates the only wireless network that sends all three Georgia emergency alerts for missing or dangerous persons, will sponsor Child Abduction Response Team (CART) training March 2-5, 2009.

The CART training program is a multi-disciplinary approach to responding to a missing or abducted child incident. The program, to be held at Gwinnett Convention Center, taught by Fox Valley Technical College in partnership with the US Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and funded by Keep Georgia Safe, is designed to train local law enforcement agencies on the state's response to child abductions.

"Statistics indicate that the first three hours of a child abduction are the most critical, as the vast majority (74%) of abducted children who are murdered are dead within three hours of the abduction," says Gary Martin Hays, founder and chairman of Keep Georgia Safe. "We are very pleased to sponsor CART training to help prepare our first responders with this vital instruction and provide a safer Georgia for children and families."

"We are pleased that Keep Georgia Safe, a non-profit organization, has agreed to sponsor Child Abduction Response Team (CART) training for local law enforcement in Georgia," says GBI Director Vernon Keenan. "This training is critical in order for agencies to provide an organized and timely response to a child abduction in support of the State of Georgia CART program. Considering the present economic crisis facing our State, it is key that the private sector work in conjunction with law enforcement to protect Georgia's children."

CART reduces the amount of time that is needed to locate resources and initiate the search for missing and abducted children. Gov. Perdue signed an executive order April 29, 2008, to form CART teams in Georgia.

"The training being offered and funded by Keep Georgia Safe will ensure our state's law enforcement community has the proper training to deal with serious situations such as child abduction," says Gov. Sonny Perdue. "I want to commend GBI Director Vernon Keenan and Keep Georgia Safe for partnering on this needed program."

Keep Georgia Safe has a two-pronged approach to crime prevention: 1) Proactive: Safety education including School Curriculum Initiative, CART training, Community Safety Seminars, Web Resources and Media Campaigns 2) Reactive: Alert System Network. As the only organization that sends out all three of Georgia's emergency alerts, the Keep Georgia Safe Wireless Network uses a text platform to notify opt-in wireless subscribers when the GBI issues any of its three emergency alerts:

-- Levi's Call: Georgia's AMBER Alert for an abducted or missing child
-- Mattie's Call: elderly or disabled missing person alert
-- Kimberly's Call: dangerous fugitive alert


Keep Georgia Safe provides the alert service free of charge. To join the network, visit www.keepgeorgiasafe.org and enter your cell phone number. Subscribers will not receive any calls or alerts other than GBI-issued alerts. For more information on Keep Georgia Safe, its alert network or education programs, visit www.keepgeorgiasafe.org or call 770.934.8000.

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