Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.
The DeKalb County Board of Commissioners held a zoning meeting on September 24, 2026, at 178 Sams Street in Decatur, GA. The meeting covered 13 agenda items, including deferred cases, a comprehensive plan text amendment, rezoning requests, special land use permits, and a street name change. The board took actions including approvals with conditions, denials, deferrals, and one withdrawal.
Knowing what to do and having the right equipment makes all the difference. It's a low frequency but high hazard occurrence. So if it happens and you're not familiar at all with it, then you know you're uh you're behind the eight ball. Participants work through realistic rescue scenarios using the same equipment available during an actual emergency. We want them to understand how our gear works on the ground versus trying to figure it out at 100 feet in the air. We'll literally put a victim, so to speak, which is a trained tree climber and in a lot of these cases is a firefighter also. Um we'll put him up 20 to 30 feet, fairly low height, and then we'll just do that repeatedly until they're confident in their gear. Everybody on that team or that crew feels confident in their ability to go get a climber down. Understanding tree structure, equipment limitations, and scene safety can mean the difference between a successful rescue and creating a second tragedy. A lot of it as a rescuer is confidence in your training and in what you're about to do. The first rule is to never become a second victim. So that's it. Over that it's always communication. Everybody on the ground needs to know what I'm doing aloft, and I need to give them information about what I might be seeing when I'm aloft. With Metro Atlanta's extensive tree canopy and thousands of tree workers operating throughout the region, training like this helps first responders prepare for one of the most challenging rescues they may ever face a life hanging in the balance. Aviva Hoffman, DC TV. I'm at Lion Song today. What we have done was to bring about 50 to 60 Gen Zs here today to uh give them the history of the Lion's Farm. We have descendants from the slave master. We also have descendants from the slaves themselves that they spoke on the impact of the slave owners and the slaves themselves. So this has been a good day. To Generation Z, your use of technology makes you extremely unique. So I urge you to use the access that you have constructed. You are honestly at a very unique time in history. At a time in history when it is absolutely important that we understand what is in order. The Lions Farm was a plantation, was once a plantation where black folks were enslaved. That is a part of our history that we should not let go unnoticed. Joseph Emmanuel Ly was the original plantation owner on this property. Um I am here as a descendant on that side of the family, the enslaver side of the family, because I believe as we look at how history has shaped us, I have a responsibility to help make repair from some of the harms in history. So we can shake hands today, and we can understand each other because the past is the past, but we can correct the future. Today is a valor awards. Public safety awards. It's a nice opportunity to recognize the work and the courage of our public safety officers in DeCab County and our cities that reside within DeCab County. We are honoring men and women across public safety across DeCab County that have made enormous contributions over the course of the year. We know that people appreciate what we do, but we take moments like this just to celebrate the very few and show how much we care. Each and every day, all of our public safety officers, they sacrifice. They are tasked with running towards danger when others have the luxury of running away. And today it feels good to acknowledge people who've gone above and beyond and just simply say we see you, we appreciate you, and most importantly, we celebrate you. Today was an acknowledgement of all of the first responders that we have in DeCap County, acknowledging all the sacrifices that they go through as well as their families go through. And then of course for the Purple Heart recipients, an acknowledgement of eternal gratitude and gratefulness for their sacrifice to ultimately make sure that DeCab County is still the best place to live. And I will do everything I can to make sure that they feel supported in every way that I can. And today is one of those examples. It was such an impactful event, and the DeCab Chamber always does an amazing job with this event. Well, the chamber itself, we are the business community. But you know, being the business community doesn't mean that we are not fit within DeCab County. We are here to support our community, our nonprofit organizations, our local governments, any and everyone that supports DeCab County. Also as a group of leaders to help organize and move this county forward. Yeah, I live here in DeCab, and uh I'm excited every day by the men and women who come to work, uh, who want to serve the community, who are willing to sacrifice time uh with family, uh, you know, give their all to make sure that our folks are safe, and so we appreciate them.