Firefighters

In the aftermath of the EF3 tornado that leveled the Eastern Kentucky town of West Liberty last Friday, a handful of firefighters from Jessamine County and Nicholasville were among those who answered the calls for help. Jessamine County Fire Chief Mike Rupard, whose department is a member of the Bluegrass Emergency Response Team (B.E.R.T.), said the needs were many. In all, 14 Jessamine County Fire District members responded Friday night after being called out at 6:55 p.m., along with three Nicholasville firefighters who were called out around 6 a.m. Saturday morning.

Four Boyle County firefighters were suspended after an investigation regarding suspicious fires, according to a press release. The Boyle County Fire Department began the investigation after a June 25 fire on Wards Branch Road. Lt. Paul McCrystal said the investigation began because of fast response times. The firefighters were on the scene at the fire. The fire department contacted KSP which is now taking over the investigation. At the Wards Branch fire there was property damage but no injuries.

Dear Editor, With the recent dismissal of Brian Jenkins, I wanted to inform the community of what a loss this is for the city of Stanford. I have worked alongside Mr. Jenkins for three years at our full-time fire department in a surrounding city. Mr. Jenkins is a respected member of our department. He is professional firefighter and deserves a respected answer for his dismissal. As a citizen, I would be concerned and would be asking questions on why they would dismiss several well-trained firefighters.

FORKLAND - Quick work by Boyle County firefighters saved a mobile home on Scrubgrass Road from going up in smoke Tuesday night. County Fire Chief Donnie Sexton said a neighbor saw smoke rising from Steve Crews' trailer at 1381 Scrubgrass about 6:15 p.m. and reported it. Firefighters from Parksville, Mitchellsburg and Forkland were on the scene quickly, Sexton said. "They did an outstanding job," the chief said. "The damage was contained to one bedroom, to one corner of the bedroom, really.

Dear Editor, The Danville Fire Department should be commended for the many services it provides our community. I want to personally thank the firefighters for the excellent job they did, as well as responding quickly to what could have been a house fire on Thanksgiving Day. James Coffman and fellow co-workers did an excellent job of thoroughly checking all of our home to find out if an electrical fire had actually started. We are very grateful for their dedication and willingness to take risk under adverse conditions.

The Danville Fire Department responded to a call at 9:30 a.m. today from an employee at Peebles Department Store in Danville Manor Shopping Center. The caller told firefighters that an odor of smoke was detected in the stockroom, but no fire was indicated, Fire Marshall Ken Pflug said. "At this time, we think that the smell of smoke is a result of a minor electrical problem," Pflug said, while still on the scene in the parking lot. Employees were evacuated from the store.

Dear Editor, I would like to thank the Junction City fire department and Junction City police department for keeping us safe when we had a gas leak last Friday. I would also like to thank Boyle County High School for feeding us. Once again, thank you for keeping us safe. Hagen Ellis Junction City

The Winchester Board of Commissioners is joining a legal battle against the Kentucky Labor Cabinet in an effort to fend off an $800,000 wage settlement with firefighters. Winchester, along with Richmond, Cynthiana, Danville, Florence, Georgetown, Glasgow, Nicholasville, Paris, Somerset and the Madison County Fiscal Court filed the petition in Franklin County Circuit Court on Monday. The petition argues that local governments should not be responsible for alleged overtime pay related to a state training incentive.

Winchester Fire/EMS and Winchester Municipal Utilities will be flow testing hydrants on the following streets Monday, April 20, and Tuesday, April 21. Ashley Drive Barlow Drive Bypass Road Canary Lane Cardinal Lane Cedar Drive Churchill Drive Estes Drive Graves Street Harkins Drive Holiday Road Jean Court Lindsey Court Locust Drive Old Bottom Road Poplar Drive ...

By Fred Petke The Winchester Sun It's a common sight, unfortunately. While sifting through the remnants of a burned-out house, firefighters often find a melted smoke detector either missing its battery or hanging from the wall. A new program unveiled Tuesday morning will distribute 200 smoke detectors throughout Winchester and Clark County. Lowe's and JWI Restorations donated the detectors to Winchester Fire-EMS and Clark County Fire Department to hand out as needed.