First Responders Update — First Responders Are Back!

I have dreamed of writing this exact article for so long that I literally have tears running down my face as I type these words. WE ARE BACK! It has been an arduous and emotionally draining eight months, but with a new arrangement made with Chatham County, Skidaway Island First Responders once again will be notified of all emergencies island wide.

We now are in a position to once again provide first responder assistance to help the personnel providing emergency medical services by Chatham County. We are elated to be allowed to continue our mission to help our entire community in their time of need. Moreover, we are so thrilled and honored to be able to once again work alongside our beloved on-island paramedics, Tommy, Jarrett, and Kasey, who truly are OUR brothers.

As most of you know, the Skidaway Island First Responders have been providing first responder services to island residents, visitors, contractors, and anyone who needed help on our island for decades. In October of 2023, we were shut down completely. Since that time, we have worked tirelessly to be able to once again provide the services which we have offered for the last four plus decades.

Through arrangements made with Chatham County, SIFR now will be notified when an emergency vehicle is dispatched to an address on Skidaway Island. The men and women who volunteer their time to serve this community will receive this notification and will be able to provide non-medical first responder services to assist the county emergency personnel that have been dispatched to our island.

We take a moment to acknowledge all of those who made this possible. First, this community owes Lori Redding the biggest THANK YOU! Without her determination, steadfast and loyal efforts, and unwavering support, we still would be circling the drain. She fought so hard for us as a concerned citizen, and we are forever grateful. Thank you also to Mike McGough and Joe Nicholson who went over and beyond by sending emails and speaking to the media on our behalf.

Thank you to Chairman Chester Ellis and County Attorney Jonathan Hart for working diligently to come to an agreement to get us back in action. There were so many moving parts, and both of them made sure to find a way for this to work for everyone. To our County Manager, Michael Kaigler, thank you for juggling and doing everything you can for our island. To Russ Palmer, Diane Pinkney and Judy McCook from Chatham 911 Communications Services, we are forever grateful for your time, understanding, help, and support. We look forward to forging an amazing relationship with the County.

Most importantly, to Joe Rahimi, there are no adequate words to convey our gratitude, love, and respect we have for you as not only an attorney, but as a human. Your legal advice, calm demeanor, patience, kindness, professionalism, support, and efforts are unmatched. We can’t thank you enough for what you did for the Skidaway Island First Responders, this entire community, and all who will need our services in the future. We would be remiss to not acknowledge that you did all of this work, gave so much of your valuable time, and refused repeatedly to take any money from us. You are a gem. This island is indebted to you.

Lastly, I thank my team, especially my Board of Directors, for sticking by me and for remaining hopeful that somehow everything would work out. As I have said to all of my SIFR family, the juice was worth the squeeze. To my husband, Marc, thank you for keeping me afloat through all of this. You are my ride or die. To Jay Gleeson, although I don’t have the words, you just know. A simple thank you will never suffice.

Thank you to the community for being so patient and allowing us to navigate these uncharted and tumultuous waters over the past eight months. We look forward to serving all of you again. It always has been such an honor to do what we do for all of you.

Kelly Gordon & The Skidaway Island First Responders