HARTFORD-SLOCOMB-WICKSBURG: This morning Hartford Fire-Rescue, Slocomb Fire-Rescue and Wicksburg Fire-Rescue responded to the traffic accident that claimed a life.
All three departments worked as one, in unison with each other. There were no “I” and only “we” to serve those involved.
THANK YOU to each department for all you do.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 21, 2026
Second Traffic Fatality in Geneva County Today
At approximately 7:50 a.m. on February 21, 2026, a three-vehicle motor vehicle accident occurred on North State Highway 123 in Hartford.
The driver of one of the vehicles, Veronica Garcia-Mata, age 24, of Hartford, was pronounced deceased at the scene by Donny Adkinson, Geneva County Coroner.
The driver of a second vehicle was transported to a local hospital for treatment. The third driver did not sustain any injuries.
Responding agencies included the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA), the Geneva County Sheriff’s Department, and Hartford Fire and Rescue.
ALEA is in charge of the ongoing investigation.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Geneva County Coroner’s Office
February 21, 2026
Fatal Pedestrian Incident in Hartford
HARTFORD, AL — At approximately 12:30 a.m. on Saturday, February 21, 2026, a pedestrian was struck by a vehicle on East State Highway 52 in Hartford.
Hartford Police Department, Hartford Fire and Rescue, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA), Geneva County Sheriff’s Department, and Geneva County Coroner Donny Adkinson responded to the scene.
The victim has been identified as 54-year-old Richard Williams Jr. of Hartford, who was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Immediately prior to the incident, a 911 call was received reporting an individual walking in the roadway. The Hartford Police Department is leading the investigation into the incident.
COTTONWOOD: The volunteer members of Cottonwood Rescue and Cottonwood Volunteer Fire Chief Randy Hall saw a great surprise on the Cottonwood Fire Department building today.
Members of the community placed signs and posters on the windows and doors with comments ” GOD has blessed us with a great fire department”, “We appreciate our fireman”, “We love our Fire Department! You are Appreciated”. and many more.
Cottonwood Volunteer Fire Department is under the leadership of Volunteer Fire Chief Randy Hall. He works full time and in addition he and his son, Trenton, along with a host of other dedicated volunteers serve their commmunity.
When the tornado struck Cottonwood, Chief Hall left his full time job, AAA Cooper Transportation, and stayed around the clock all week making sure everyone was cared for. Now Chief Hall will be the first to tell you he did not do it alone. It was the members of the department and a host of other volunteers and agencies that worked around the clock. But Chief Hall would not go home. He was raised in Cottonwood and knows the people and community. And he was not going to rest until everyone that could be helped was helped.
The Cottonwood Volunteer Fire Station was destroyed in the tornado. They have rebuilt the station to better serve the community in times of need.
HATS OFF to all of the men and women who volunteer to serve others in order to save lives and property. Each and everyone of you are very much apperciated for all you do. And THANKS to Chief Hall for all he does, and his lovely wife who let’s him!
DALEVILLE: 5:54 PM Daleville 911 dispatched Daleville Police and Daleville Rescue to a private pond where a teen was found injured.
On arrival emergency crews found a 16 year old male deceased.
Daleville Police Chief John Crawford, Dale County Sheriff Mason Bynum and Dale County Coroner John Cawley responded to the scene.
The 16 year old young man was fishing in a private pond when he was attacked by six Pit Bull dogs. The dogs caused his death. Chief Crawford, Sheriff Bynum, Daleville Police and Dale County Sheriff Deputies had to stand armed while the body was removed and the six dogs were captured. Coroner John Cawley notified 33rd Judicial Circuit District Attorney Kirke Adams.
Daleville Police is in charge of the investigation.
Coroner John Cawley has identifed the 16 year old young man as Gabriel Damien Barron of Daleville. The body will be examined by the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences.
If you experience a medical emergency, whether it’s an automobile accident, a fall, or chest pains, you hope that the first responders will answer the call quickly to assess your condition and provide the medical care you require. However, in many locations there is no quick response to medical emergencies – a rescue squad may be as far away as an hour’s drive. The residents of Coffee County and neighboring communities can rest easy, however, because the Enterprise Rescue Squad will likely be on-site within a matter of minutes. Captain Anthony Cole, a 55-year veteran of the Enterprise Rescue Squad, spoke recently to the Enterprise Lions Club.
Anthony noted that when he joined the squad at the age of 18, there were no female EMT’s allowed, and no one under 21 could drive the ambulance. In 1963 Lomax Searcy, of Searcy’s Funeral Home, was asked if he would be interested in having an ambulance service in Enterprise. He readily agreed and work began to establish what became the Enterprise Rescue Squad. An aging hearse was converted into an ambulance and volunteer emergency medical technicians began to respond to medical emergencies in 1963.
In 1994, the rescue squad became a paid service, and volunteers with the squad constructed the building currently located on W. Lee Street. The combined cost of the building and the land amounted to $850,000. The Enterprise Rescue Squad used to cover only the city of Enterprise, but the business has grown to cover all of Coffee County as well as Monroe, Clark, and Butler counties, in addition to Level Plains and part of Geneva County.
In addition, air ambulance service is available in most of these counties. PHI Medical Services provides the helicopter and the flight crew and ERS provides the medical crew. Four helicopters are available, with three in service all the time in different locations. Anthony reported that weather conditions can prevent the flight crew from responding to a call, but if they can get there, they will be there. The helicopter in Monroe County also picks up patients in Mississippi, and the local unit can pick up patients in Florida only if they are bringing them back to Alabama. Anthony noted that Ft. Walton has a level I trauma center, and it would be beneficial to both Alabama and Florida if the local flight unit could transport critical patients to that hospital. The rescue squad is authorized to pick up patients in Birmingham and return them to the local area.
Enterprise Rescue Squad is one of the few in Alabama that has technicians trained in critical care. All of the supervisors are Critical Care EMT’s, and the flight crews have one Critical Care EMT on board as well as an additional EMT. These specially trained responders can perform more serious procedures when needed to save a life. The supervisors all drive pick-up trucks with everything needed to provide critical care. Anthony reported that his training officer and the medical director for the flight division is a physician.
In providing critical care, EMT’s have the benefit of coordinating with the Alabama Trauma Control Center, which will tell the responders which facilities are available nearest to them. A Cardiac Response system is being piloted and may soon be available to assist EMT’s in these specialized cases.
The Enterprise Rescue Squad has diversified into several different divisions. The wheelchair van division transports wheelchair-bound patients to doctor’s appointments, dialysis treatments, and the nursing home, for example. Insurance will not cover the cost of transporting a wheelchair patient to an appointment in an ambulance, so the van will take them for $20 rather than the $1200 an ambulance would cost.
The former Tim Whitehead Chrysler/Dodge/Plymouth building was converted into a maintenance building for the ERS where mechanics specially trained in working on emergency vehicles keep the fleet of trucks in good running order. The ERS agreed to do warranty work on the rescue vehicles and now service and repair vehicles for other squads in neighboring counties. A base model truck costs about $250,000 and that does not include all the special equipment and supplies that must be carried in an ambulance. So it pays to keep everything in “tip top” shape.
The billing division has also expanded and now has contracts with seven other agencies across the state to handle their billing needs. Anthony lamented that rescue squads are closing down all across the country. They lose about $1,000 on every run. Medicare will pay about $380 for each emergency run, and that does not even begin to cover the cost of gas, equipment and supplies, and personnel. Currently, three other counties in Alabama are requesting help from Enterprise Rescue Squad.
The Enterprise Rescue Squad has grown from an all-volunteer organization serving only the city of Enterprise to a paid organization of highly qualified emergency responders serving several counties in the state. You can rest assured that in a medical emergency, you are going to receive the best care possible.
Pictured is Anthony Cole, Captain and CEO of the Enterprise Rescue Squad. The Enterprise Lions Club meets weekly on Wednesday at the Enterprise Farmers’ Market. Lunch is served at 11:30, followed by a brief business meeting and a guest speaker. Visitors are welcome.