Henry County government officials announced earlier this month the implementation of a Rescue Task Force (RTF) program “that provides fire, EMS and law enforcement personnel with the skills and knowledge to respond in the case of an active shooter or hostile event in order to save lives and protect those responding,” according to a county staff report.

The initiative began in late 2018 when county personnel attended FEMA training in Maryland in response to new National Fire Protection Association standards. Henry County has recently been selected as a recipient of the Association County Commissioners of Georgia’s 2020 County of Excellence award in recognition of the Rescue Task Force program.

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Atlanta police investigate a fatal shooting on Cornell Boulevard early Monday. (Ben Hendren for the AJC)

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Ceudy Gutierrez reads a book to her 2-year-old son, Matias, at their home in Buford, GA, on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025. Ceudy Gutierrez is struggling to make ends meet for herself and her three young kids following her husband’s ICE arrest earlier this fall. (Miguel Martinez/ AJC)

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