COCKE COUNTY, Tenn. (WATE) — The Cocke County Emergency Management Agency received a grant from the Tennessee Highway Safety Office. They used the funding for safety measures when responding to emergencies.

The Cocke County E.M.A. said part of that money went to purchasing guardian angel devices.

The small devices are attached to vests or jackets that first responders wear and once they show up to the scene, they turn the device on.

“Each button forward and rear has three different flash patterns,” said Joe Esway, director of the Cocke County Emergency Management Agency. “You can dim it, you can brighten it, it also got a feature that you can turn a white light on and use it as a flashlight if you are trying to read a map or if you are trying to write a report.”

The devices are waterproof, shockproof and visible from five miles away.

The goal of these devices is to provide a safer situation for first responders and limit accidents where they are struck and killed while working a traffic crash or another emergency.

“Last year, there were 51 in all of 2022,” Esway said. “That doesn’t include injuries, those are fatalities.”

The Cocke County EMA purchased 93 devices in total that were split up among the different departments in the county.

A new trailer was also purchased with the grant money.

The trailer will hold reflective barrels, vests, brooms and other tools that are used in interstate incidents. Esway says the trailer will be deployed to help traffic move safely.