By-Line: Julie Murphy, Flagler County Government
Flagler County is making its presence known nationwide for the high-quality, comprehensive services it provides to its residents, and was honored with National Association of Counties (NACo) 2025 Achievement Awards in four categories with five awards: Health, Innovation Technology, Parks & Recreation, and volunteers. The county was notified by email, and the awards ceremony was held on July 13 in Philadelphia. The awards competition has 18 categories.
<
p style=”font-weight: 400″>
“Thank you for participating in the National Association of Counties (NACo) 2024 Achievement Awards and for joining us in celebrating 55 years of county innovation,” read the awards notification. “Thank you for your efforts to promote the betterment of county services and programs.”
<
p style=”font-weight: 400″>
“This recognition is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and innovative spirit of Flagler County’s elected officials and staff,” said County Administrator Heidi Petito. “We are incredibly proud of this accomplishment and remain committed to continuing our efforts towards excellence and improvement.”
<
p style=”font-weight: 400″>
Flagler County was awarded for the following projects or initiatives: Flagler County Fire Rescue Therapy Dog Taco in the Health category; Flagler County Fire Rescue Installs 360-degree Cameras, also in the Health category; the Unmanned Aircraft System program’s FAA Beyond the Visual Line of Sight Waiver in the Innovation Technology category; and, the Emergency Management Volunteer Program in the Volunteer category.
<
p style=”font-weight: 400″>
It had long been the desire of Fire Rescue Chief Michael Tucker to have an official therapy dog as part of the department, having seen a long, hard, traumatic day take its toll on the men and women under his command.
<
p style=”font-weight: 400″>
“The usage of therapy dogs within emergency services is a growing trend to ensure the mental health of our citizens and our first responders,” Tucker said. “While Flagler County’s implementation of this type of program will certainly help raise the bar for other emergency services providers to reach.”
<
p style=”font-weight: 400″>
The Flagler County Fire Rescue department has outfitted its nine rescue vehicles (ambulances) with a camera system that enhances what the drivers see from inside the cab, including “Quadview Monitoring” that gives a 360-degree exterior surveillance plus a rear-facing camera in the patient compartment. This system gives heightened awareness of the cars and obstacles outside the ambulance, as well as heightened awareness of the patient and paramedic encounter.
<
p style=”font-weight: 400″>
“The cameras give the driver a heightened awareness of the exterior surroundings, such as other vehicles and obstacles,” Tucker said. “The camera in the patient compartment also allows the driver to be aware of what is occurring in the back of the unit. This not only ensures a higher degree of health and safety for the patient, but also for the paramedic attending to the patient. In recent years, there have been increasing reports of paramedics being injured and/or assaulted by patients.”
<
p style=”font-weight: 400″>
Flagler’s UAS (Unmanned Aircraft System, or drone) Program Division applied for, and was approved for, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) “Certificate of Waiver” that allows the county’s drone operations to fly long-range monitoring missions of the coastline and other public safety monitoring missions, which allows the county to fly coastal LiDAR scans in house instead of outsourcing them at a cost between $22,000 and $72,000 per flight.
<
p style=”font-weight: 400″>
“These LiDAR surveys have to be done before and after a storm to get the data we need to calculate volume of sand lost,” said Chief Information Officer Matthew Rivera, the Flagler County director of the UAS Program Division. “If we have just two storms, we’ll have our return on investment in two years. I should also mention that we can swap the payload on the aircraft and then go focus on wildfire mitigation or search and rescue missions.”
<
p style=”font-weight: 400″>
Through the Land Management Division, a free program called a “Walk in the Park” was created that is open to an intimate group of citizens to provide them with an immersive two-hour experience. The county has several magnificent parks and preserves, largely considered to be “passive recreation.” These walks provide an opportunity to showcase their natural splendor, including their flora and fauna. The program also builds a fondness for the county’s preservation efforts and a respect for the work the Land Management team undertakes to keep the natural areas thriving for today and the future.
<
p style=”font-weight: 400″>
“It’s important to know what you have for a couple of reasons,” said Forestry Supervisor Ralph Risch, who leads the walks. “We have to know what we are protecting, like the Striped Newt, and what the invasive plant species are that we need to remove to protect our native habitats.”
<
p style=”font-weight: 400″>
The Flagler County Emergency Management Department solicits and encourages citizens to volunteer and support a variety of initiatives – from pre-emergency through the final recovery – to help the community get ready for, handle, bounce back from, and lessen the impact of natural and manmade disasters.
<
p style=”font-weight: 400″>
“Beyond their tangible contributions, Flagler County Emergency Management Volunteers serve as an inspiring example of selflessness, dedication, and altruism,” said Emergency Management Director Jonathan Lord. “Their passion for service is contagious, inspiring others to get involved and make a meaningful difference in Flagler County.”
<
p style=”font-weight: 400″>
Flagler County received four awards in 2021, two awards in 2022, three awards in 2024, and now five awards in 2025.
<
p style=”font-weight: 400″>
“We submitted for more awards this year than ever before, and we received all five,” Petito said. “It is extremely exciting and a testament to the hard work our team does. The national recognition reflects our team’s creativity, dedication, and measurable results, as well as highlighting our commitment to advancing innovation at the county level.”
The post Flagler County shines in 4 categories in NACo 2025 Achievement Awards: Health, IT, Parks & Recreation, Volunteers first appeared on Flagler County Buzz.
