News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Cumberland County’s Emergency Management Agency has a new director in Travis Cole.
County Commissioners approved Cole’s move from assistant to director.
“I am very excited and very appreciative of the opportunity,” Cole said. “Serving my community is something I am passionate about, and I am super stoke to get this opportunity to continue to do that.”
Cole said expanding the county’s hazmat team and supporting the local health department are at the forefront of next year’s goals.
“One of the things that we are going to continue to support is our local hazardous material teams,” Cole said. “Crossville Fire Department and Cumberland County Fire Department have the only hazmat team in the Upper Cumberland, so we are going to work diligently to continue to have a great team there. We are going to be bringing some new guys on for some training to get them spooled up to what we need for that. Other than that, we are working very hard to support our health department during their response of COVID-19.”
Cole is a Cumberland County native that has served multiple roles in the fire department, sheriff’s department and dispatch. Cole said his two years as assistant director and other experiences have prepared him to take over the role.
“In EMA, it is important to know the faces and names of people you need to be able to interact with during an emergency situation,” Cole said. “As the assistant director, I have been here for two years. During that time, I made some great relationships with different individuals in the community that will really come in handy when an emergency occurs.”
Cole said while his offices are running efficiently, there is always room for improvement. Cole said he wants to keep building on the foundation that was laid. Cole replaces past Agency Director Rick Williams.
