Walton County Fire Rescue Resumes Emergency Response After Isaias
Emergency crews are answering 911 calls again in Walton County. Walton County Fire Rescue and South Walton Fire District have resumed emergency response after suspending operations at the height of Hurricane Isaias, both agencies confirmed.
Both agencies suspended emergency response as Isaias worsened, with crews sheltering in place at their stations rather than running calls through the storm. “Crews are sheltering in place at our fire stations and will resume handling emergency calls as soon as conditions improve. Any 911 calls received will be queued for response and handled appropriately as soon as we can get to them,” South Walton Fire District said in its statement. Walton County Fire Rescue said its own response would resume “as soon as conditions improve enough for crews to operate safely.” During the pause, authorities asked residents to stay sheltered in a safe location.
The resumption reaches directly into Freeport. Walton County Fire Rescue — a division of the Walton County Sheriff’s Office — provides fire suppression and emergency medical services for the City of Freeport and the unincorporated areas north of Choctawhatchee Bay, answering calls out of Station 12 on Washington Street and Station 5 on J W Hollington Road. While the suspension held, a house fire or medical emergency in Freeport meant a queued call and a wait for crews to be released; with response restored, the county’s 911 pipeline is running end to end again.
The agencies’ all-clear came as the county turned from riding out the storm to cleaning up after it. Freeport spent Saturday running its water wells on standby generator power while power crews worked to restore the grid, and county officials opened damage self-reporting forms, began clearing debris and asked residents south of Choctawhatchee Bay to conserve water. The Walton County dispatch center, meanwhile, has been working through a backlog of welfare-check requests as phone and internet service returns.
For residents, the practical read is simple: fire and medical response is back. The same crews that waited out Isaias in their stations are again rolling to calls across Walton County as the recovery continues.
Originally reported by WJHG Newschannel 7. Image: WJHG Newschannel 7.
