When disaster strikes Hamilton County, Sheriff Jim Hammond now can call the Air Force.
The sheriff signed a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary Civil Air Patrol on Wednesday.
The understanding streamlines the process to obtain airplanes to transport people or supplies or even for a bird’s-eye view of any area emergency. For instance, Civil Air Patrol pilots took aerial photos of the 2009 flooding in East Ridge.
“This one was a no-brainer for me,” Sheriff Hammond said as he signed the document during a new conference in his downtown office.