County DEM transitions from part-time to full-time
At the beginning of 2020, Terry Eubanks, the director of Hot Spring County Emergency Management was only working part-time. For a time, Hot Spring County Judge Dennis Thornton changed Eubanks work schedule temporarily to full-time since Eubanks’ office was responsible for everything surrounding the county’s COVID-19 response.
“That was when we really knew little about what was going on and how to handle it and what we were going to do,” Thornton said. “He was really instrumental for me to assist in that.”
Eubanks’ office has been responsible for various things surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. The Arkansas Department of Health funnels information through the state Department of Emergency Management, Eubanks explained.
He said that as the county’s DEM, he is responsible for organizing resources.
“On the scene, my job isn’t to help with firefighters or law enforcement, my job is to be a walking Roladex. I bring sources in,” Eubanks said.
Half of Eubanks’ salary is funded through the county with the other half coming from an Emergency Management Preparedness Grant.
Because of this funding, “it was a no brainer to me to get
him full time,” Thornton said.
At the end of 2020, the Hot Spring County Quorum Court voted to make Eubank’s fulltime work schedule a permanent change.
“I can’t thank them enough for being proactive and seeing the need,” Thornton said.
Eubanks has been working as the county DEM for five years, and he has an extensive
career as a first responder.
He spend 34 years in law enforcement, 12 years as a paramedic and two years as a firefighter.
Majority of his law enforcement experience comes from working around the Memphis area, he said.
After leaving Memphis, he worked for the Hot Spring County Sheriff’s Office under