New mile markers on Gasconade River expected to reduce emergency response times

VIENNA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A new mile-marker system along the Gasconade River aims to reduce emergency response times and help first responders locate people needing help.

The Maries County Sheriff's Office and the Vienna Fire Protection District teamed up together to get this completed.

The initiative started when Sheriff Mark Morgan saw that Pulaski County, which borders Maries County, had put up mile markers along the same river. Now, if you are in Pulaski County and go into Maries County on the river, all of the mile markers will be in order and look the same, county officials say.

To cover the costs, the Maries County Sheriff’s Office funded the mile markers by creating and selling department calendars, Morgan said.

Volunteers and employees put up the mile markers. Vienna Fire Protection District Capt. Carson Hayes said he knows of several instances in which the markers would have been helpful.

"People are trying to describe landmarks, and that can be very difficult to figure out which ramp we need to put in at or anything like that," Hayes said.

The Gasconade River is around 36 miles through Maries County. Some areas of the river bank go through private property and Morgan asked residents' permission to hang the markers.

"I didn't get any pushback at all from any of the property owners," Morgan said. "Everybody was extremely receptive to it. It's been extremely well received by the community."

The location of each the mile marker can be viewed on online GIS systems. Maries County's system allows you to select a layer to view them.