Emergency Services

Scanner enthusiasts listening in on police and fire department dispatches may be hit with silence in the coming months - unless they've upgraded to digital - because of a Federal Communications Commission mandate. Under the Narrowband Compliance Act, by Jan. 1, 2013, all public safety radio systems must cut their bandwidth in half, according to the FCC website, and agencies not in compliance could lose their radio licenses. It is an effort to free up additional bandwidth space to give public safety users more access which began almost 20 years ago. Because of the effects of narrowband, first responders are working to switch to digital radios.

LANCASTER - Garrard County's emergency services director, who was involved in a deadly automobile crash in April, has resigned. He has asked for a "severance package," but the court has not openly discussed that request. Just before the closing of Monday's Garrard County Fiscal Court meeting, the Judge-executive John Wilson told magistrates that Dwayne Nave, who's been with the county for seven years, had submitted his letter of resignation, and Wilson said, "I think we should accept this.

Winchester Mayor Ed Burtner reads a joint city-county proclamation designating April 13 to 19 as National Public Safety Telecommunications week Thursday in the telecommunications room of the Winchester Police Department. Joining Mayor Burtner, were, from left, communications supervisor Rhonda Rogers, Clark County Judge-Executive Henry Branham and communications dispatchers Ronnie Blakemore and Rondi Leslie. Public safety communicators are the first and most critical contact Clark Countians have to engage emergency services.

Boyle County Disaster and Emergency Services coordinator Leonard Shepperson doesn't use high-tech jargon when discussing what an elevation in the terrorist alert status means to him. "We basically just look for something or someone sitting somewhere they shouldn't be," said Shepperson. Shepperson and other local emergency services personnel began looking for people and things "where they shouldn't be" over the weekend when Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge announced that the nation's terror alert status had been elevated to orange, the second highest in the color-coded system.

ept. 7. Tom Armstrong, President of Kentucky Emergency Manage-ment Association presented the award on behalf of his organization in conjunction with the Kentucky Emergency Number Association and Kentucky Chapter of Association of Public Communications Officials. The award was presented to Ms. Horn for her past leadership and present dedication to emergency services in the Commonwealth. She is a past President of the Kentucky Emer-gency Number Association and past vice chairwoman of the Commercial Mobile Radio Service Board.

After a lengthy discussion, the Jessamine County Fiscal Court voted Tuesday to increase E-911 fees by a dollar, from the current $1.25 up to $2.25. The vote came after Jessamine County 9-1-1 Emergency Services director Shelby Horn provided the court with figures showing that upgrades to the service in recent years had resulted in it being more than $240,000 in the red for the 2007-2008 fiscal year. The Jessamine County 9-1-1 service was established in 1997 as a basic land line service but since that time has undergone several changes as phone technology has improved.

Each week, certified telecommunicators at the Jessamine County 911 Center handle hundreds of emergency calls from residents in need of emergency services. One of those employees was recognized by the Jessamine County Fiscal Court Tuesday, for completing her advanced certification, a rigorous set of requirements that require more than nine years and hundreds of hours of training to complete. Diana Hardy became only the seventh person, out of more than 1,500 certified telecommunicators in Kentucky, to earn the prestigious level.

In the event of an emergency, the few minutes that follow are typically the most important. These critical moments can make a difference in the outcome of the situation. Should you encounter an emergency situation, remember four important steps: prevent, prepare, recognize and act. Individuals can help to prevent medical emergencies by reducing their risk factors for certain health problems. Getting regular exercise and medical check-ups are two ways to reduce your risk factors.

RJ Corman opens derailment division in Arizona The RJ Corman Railroad Group opened a division in Tuscon, Ariz., that will extend the Nicholasville-based group's services further west than it has ever gone. The Tuscon division is the 21st in the country, and it sends Corman's derailment services into brand new territory. "We've really not been west of the Rockies," Vice President for Strategic Planning and Development Noel Rush said. "We've never had to cross the Rocky Mountains to go to any emergency, so this is our first endeavor west of the Rocky Mountains.

In the event of an emergency, the few minutes that follow are typically the most important. These critical moments can make a difference in the outcome of the situation. Should you encounter an emergency situation, remember four important steps: prevent, prepare, recognize and act. Individuals can help to prevent medical emergencies by reducing their risk factors for certain health problems. Getting regular exercise and medical check-ups are two ways to reduce your risk factors.

The Clark Regional Foundation for the Promotion of Health is giving the Clark County Fiscal Court three acres to build a new Emergency Operations Center. The property is located behind the old hospital building between Maryland Avenue and McCann Drive. The Federal Emergency Management Agency will fund the $3.6 million project, Gary Epperson, director of the Winchester-Clark County Emergency Management Office, and Judge-Executive Henry Branham announced during Wednesday's Fiscal Court meeting.

Scanner enthusiasts listening in on police and fire department dispatches may be hit with silence in the coming months - unless they've upgraded to digital - because of a Federal Communications Commission mandate. Under the Narrowband Compliance Act, by Jan. 1, 2013, all public safety radio systems must cut their bandwidth in half, according to the FCC website, and agencies not in compliance could lose their radio licenses. It is an effort to free up additional bandwidth space to give public safety users more access which began almost 20 years ago. Because of the effects of narrowband, first responders are working to switch to digital radios.

The scenario was one typically dreamed up by Hollywood producers. A man walks into a local medical facility with signs and symptoms of chemical agent exposure. Soon, more and more people show up with the same symptoms. The medical facility alerts the local emergency management director, and soon there is a full-blown hazardous-materials decontamination team on site. But this wasn't a Hollywood movie, according to Jessamine County Emergency Management Director John V. Carpenter.

Danville's next budget meeting isn't until Thursday night, but much of the discussion at Monday's regular City Commission meeting touched on ways to find money in both this year’s and next year’s spending plans. The City Commission decided to hold off on approving several seasonal contracts for landscaping, mowing and maintenance services until more input from the public could be gathered and city staff could give a clearer number on how much money can be found during the last three months of the fiscal year for other projects.

RJ Corman opens derailment division in Arizona The RJ Corman Railroad Group opened a division in Tuscon, Ariz., that will extend the Nicholasville-based group's services further west than it has ever gone. The Tuscon division is the 21st in the country, and it sends Corman's derailment services into brand new territory. "We've really not been west of the Rockies," Vice President for Strategic Planning and Development Noel Rush said. "We've never had to cross the Rocky Mountains to go to any emergency, so this is our first endeavor west of the Rocky Mountains.

Spend five minutes with members of the Boyle County Fire Department - both experienced veterans and new firefighters who are recent graduates of the Explorer program - and you'll notice the reverence in the eyes of the youth for their more experienced counterparts. Spend 10 minutes with the same people, however, and you'll get a direct glimpse into the camaraderie and brotherhood inherent in the Boyle County Fire Department. Whether the older officers are giving one of the new firefighters a hard time about having red ears, being nervous or shaky when being interviewed by the newspaper, and the origins of a freshly busted lip on the rookie firefighter, or the same young firefighter shooting back comical retorts, amid the lengthy laughter, you get an idea of something deeper.

Personal emergency services companies operating in Kentucky soon will have to comply with a new state law that resulted from the crusade of a Danville man in response to the death of his mother last year. The Personal Emergency Response Systems Act, which places several new regulations and requirements on companies with subscribers who use their emergency response devices, will go into effect Jan. 1. The new law also is known as the "Christine Talley Act" in honor of Christine Talley, a subscriber to an emergency response company, who died on Memorial Day 2007 at the age of 69 of a heart attack.

Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center and Ephraim McDowell Fort Logan Hospital are recognizing area emergency services personnel next week, which is National EMS Week. During the week, refreshments will be provided to all area EMS personnel. "We encourage our communities to join us in honoring our emergency services personnel during National EMS Week," said Harry Nickens, spokesperson for Ephraim McDowell Health. "These personnel are always available to help keep our communities safer and healthier.

After a lengthy discussion, the Jessamine County Fiscal Court voted Tuesday to increase E-911 fees by a dollar, from the current $1.25 up to $2.25. The vote came after Jessamine County 9-1-1 Emergency Services director Shelby Horn provided the court with figures showing that upgrades to the service in recent years had resulted in it being more than $240,000 in the red for the 2007-2008 fiscal year. The Jessamine County 9-1-1 service was established in 1997 as a basic land line service but since that time has undergone several changes as phone technology has improved.