Greers Ferry school adds stability to AGFC emergency response evaluations

HEBER SPRINGS — AGFC game wardens will be able to up their CSI skills tremendously thanks to the help of Greers Ferry West Side High School’s welding class. The class recently fabricated and donated a special mobile platform for the AGFC’s FARO 3D laser scanner to be used in scene reconstructions in accident investigations.

“The FARO scanner is a very intricate device that is used by architects and surveyors to plot 3D images of rooms, open spaces and other settings,” Sydney Grant, AGFC Boating Law Administrator, said. “We use the scanner to make forensically accurate 3D models to upload into computers and analyze settings where hunting and boating accidents occur.”

Like much of the specialized equipment game wardens use, the device needed some adaptation for the work AGFC need to accomplish.

“It needs to rotate 360 degrees from a stable, level base to complete a full picture,” Grant said. “They’re commonly mounted on tripods, but we need it to sit closer to ground level to be able to capture scenes underneath vessels and trailers and in tight quarters like hunting blinds.”

Cpl. Briston Gould spoke up about a possible solution.

“We reached out to Randy Carr, who teaches welding at West Side High School,” Gould said. “He led two students with a project to custom fabricate an adjustable mounting plate for the scanner.”

Carr was eager to offer a hand.

“I’ve welded up a few things over the years for AGFC, so when Briston came to me with the project it seemed pretty simple,” Carr said. “It’s a great relationship we have with the AGFC, and in a small community like ours we all like to pitch in and help each other out.”

Carr said the students fabricated the base out of mild steel and added adjustment bolts that could be used to level the platform on uneven surfaces.

“We have a CNC plasma machine we used to cut holes and welded the nuts for the bolts in the shop,” Carr said. The plate sits low enough to the ground to offer a stable base while protecting the valuable piece of equipment.

“It can fit in a hunting blind or even a tent and can do a low-profile scan on the underside of trailered vessels,” Gould said. “It will be extremely helpful with documentation of evidence for accident reports and major wildlife violations and crimes.”

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HOLDING PLATE (from left to right):
Capt. Chris Foshee and West Side High School students CJ Parks and Landon Dodson pose with the new piece of forensic equipment custom-built for AGFC investigations.