BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — When two deputies from the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office were shot Wednesday morning, nearby agencies stepped up to cover their territory so the rest of the force could be there for their colleagues.

Throughout the day, sheriff’s deputies from Shelby County continued to make their way to the UAB emergency room to visit their colleagues. At one point, they lined the entire side of the ER along 5^th Avenue South.

In a social media post, Pelham Police said, “Please pray for our friends at Shelby County Sheriff’s Office. We are answering calls in neighboring Chelsea while this incident is under investigation, as well as providing peer support to those impacted.”

Helena Police posted a similar response saying, “Even in Shelby County on a random Wednesday morning, the job of law enforcement can turn tragic in an instant. We are incredibly thankful to hear both of these deputies are going to recover. HPD was glad to provide some of our very vital peer support personnel with SCSO deputies today, and we still stand with them in the upcoming days and weeks. Our thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery with the deputies involved today.”

CBS 42 was able to speak with Oxford Police Chief Bill Partridge who said his deputies first told him about the incident.

“Any time I hear that news that officers have been shot it gives you that gut punch,” Partridge said. “The first thing is thinking of those officers and thinking that hopefully it’s not too severe and thinking of their families because we’re seeing it too much across the country and we’re seeing it way too much across the state of Alabama over the last 10 years.”

Partridge said every call is a dangerous call, and some more so than others – including welfare checks.

“People think it is nothing, it is something because you don’t know who you’re approaching,” Partridge said. “You don’t know what their mental state is, you don’t know what they’re going through. It could very well be a call to ambush an officer, so you have to be on your toes constantly, 24-7.”

Partridge said law enforcement has taken a severe beating over the last 10 years and it is evident in recruitment numbers. He believes it’s because of how police are portrayed as part of the problem instead of the solution.

“It’s got to get better, if not we’re just going to continue to deteriorate as a country and as a state,” Partridge said. “We have to support our men and women who are out there on the front lines every day.”

Partridge said that won’t stop him from putting on his badge each day.

“We don’t do it for the money, we do it because we want to help our community,” Partridge said. “That’s why these young men and women do this every day. Day in and day out, they understand the dangers, but they do it because they want to help their community.”

The Alabama FOP shared this statement on social media: “Our prayers are with Shelby County Sheriff’s Office. #Stopshootingourofficers #FOPFamilyFirst”