Hazardous Materials

JUNCTION CITY - Junction City Council passed an ordinance Thursday pertaining to spills of hazardous materials and who will bear responsibility for the cleanup costs. Fire and Police Chief Jimmy Gipson said the ordinance is pretty simple: It will allow the city to collect cleanup fees from any person or company causing such an accident. The ordinance was adopted by a unanimous vote. Gipson also received unanimous approval to review possible funding opportunities for an additional fire truck for the city due to population growth.

The Jessamine County Fiscal Court will make it easier for those wishing to discard hazardous household waste items during its Fall Hall program on Saturday, Oct. 16, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Those items can be dropped off at the Jessamine County Convenience Center, located at 123 Hendren Way. Hazardous items, such as paint, paint thinners, antifreeze, pesticides and more, will be accepted during the event. According to Environmental Services Director Mike Cassidy, a large number of everyday household materials should be considered hazardous — including some unexpected items such as moth balls, kitchen- and bathroom-cleaning materials, and arts and crafts supplies.

Norfolk Southern Railway will bring an 18-car train with classroom and exhibit boxcars to the Danville rail yard on Fryes Lane from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday for a full day of classes on hazardous materials. Danville is one of only five stops on what has been dubbed the "Whistle Stop Tour. " The tour started Tuesday in Decatur, Ill., and will stop in St. Louis, Mo., and Princeton, Ind., today, and Louisville on Thursday before arriving in Danville on Friday. "This is another first for the city of firsts.

Editor's note: Over the next three days, The Advocate will examine the prospect of a rail accident in our community and how well we are prepared. Five years ago today, a leaking boxcar provided more than just a practice run for emergency personnel in Danville. Since then, this year in fact, there have been accidents in other small communities in the south which should give us pause. The lessons learned from the April 25, 2000, hazardous materials accident on the Norfolk Southern railroad in Danville have proven to be many, say emergency personnel involved.

LIBERTY - A thermal imager will be provided for rescue efforts in Casey County now that the Emergency Management Agency director received training. Rick Wesley, director of the county agency, said the equipment is provided through U.S. Department of Homeland Security and retails for $12,000. The imager is made available through the Commercial Equipment Direct Assistance Program. The program assists smaller agencies acquire equipment and technology that will help meet homeland security needs and help with a homeland security mission, he said.

Employee sent to hospital from fire scene A fire that damaged the roof of a Danville business Monday morning apparently started when a vent system overheated and kindled some wood it was in contact with, Fire Chief Mike Thomas said. The fire at Yates Transmission, 600 Russell St., occurred about 9:30 a.m., when someone reported seeing flames and smoke shooting from the roof. Firefighters using a ladder truck responded and contained the fire to the area near where the vent exited the roof, Thomas said.

An adult and three juveniles were removed from a Chestnut Street residence Saturday morning after authorities discovered a working methamphetamine operation. Danville and Boyle County officers discovered the lab after executing a search warrant at 445 Chestnut St. They arrested two adults and a juvenile. "We found pieces of a working meth lab in the residence," said Assistant Danville Police Chief Tony Gray. Brittany McQueary, 24, of the Chestnut Street address, was charged with tampering with evidence.

STANFORD - Lincoln County's Emergency Management Agency has been named the most improved program in the state by the Kentucky Emergency Management Association. Garrard County Emergency Management Director Wendell Hatfield said he nominated Lincoln Emergency Management Director Don Gilliam for the honor because "he's grabbed the bull by the horns and he's got the program going in the right direction. " Gilliam said since he took over as EM director 18 months ago, he's made many changes, including improving monitoring of hazardous materials stored in Lincoln County and reorganizing the county's search and rescue team.

CRAB ORCHARD - A meth bust Friday afternoon provided Stanford firefighters with one of their first chances to use a hazardous materials response vehicle since they recently reacquired it from Lincoln County. Three Crab Orchard residents and a Brodhead resident were arrested Friday after Lincoln County Sheriff Curt Folger responded to a report of a possible meth lab along Schrock Avenue, north of Crab Orchard. Crab Orchard residents Christopher Leo Young, 26, Brian Haight, 37, and Brittany Payne, 23, were charged with manufacturing methamphetamine, unlawful possession of a methamphetamine precursor and wanton endangerment Brodhead resident Ricky Hale Jr., 30, faces the same charges.

Those wishing to obtain a commercial driver's licenses will soon have more expense, according to the state's Transportation Cabinet. Effective Tuesday, Sept. 5, at the time of issuance of a CDL permit requiring a skill test, a driver who has held a Kentucky operator's license or permit for 30 days or longer will pay a skill testing fee of $50 in addition to the $11 CDL permit fee. For those who've had their Kentucky operator's license for less than 30 days, a skills testing fee of $150 in addition to the $11 CDL permit fee will be collected.

It is almost one of my favorite times of the year again - spring. Spring doesn't officially begin until March 20, but I am already getting in the spirit. Spring is my favorite season because the weather warms up, the flowers begin to bloom and everything comes to life. It is also the time for spring cleaning. Just in time for spring cleaning, Boyle County is having a household hazardous waste collection day. HHW collection day will be 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday at the Boyle County Fairgrounds.  This is a great and safe way to dispose of toxic items you would not normally be able to get rid of easily.

CRAB ORCHARD - A meth bust Friday afternoon provided Stanford firefighters with one of their first chances to use a hazardous materials response vehicle since they recently reacquired it from Lincoln County. Three Crab Orchard residents and a Brodhead resident were arrested Friday after Lincoln County Sheriff Curt Folger responded to a report of a possible meth lab along Schrock Avenue, north of Crab Orchard. Crab Orchard residents Christopher Leo Young, 26, Brian Haight, 37, and Brittany Payne, 23, were charged with manufacturing methamphetamine, unlawful possession of a methamphetamine precursor and wanton endangerment Brodhead resident Ricky Hale Jr., 30, faces the same charges.

While September has become a month of remembrance, emergency personnel want people to remember to prepare themselves for any potential disaster. It is National Preparedness Month in Kentucky. “It's a month that we want people to take charge of their preparedness,” Winchester's Emergency Management Director Gary Epperson said. “They need to know what to do, where to go, the local hazards and have a plan, be able to implement the plan and have a disaster kit.” While the terrorist attacks of 9/11 are more than a decade in the past, Epperson is quick to note the majority of disasters are weather-related.

STANFORD - Lincoln County's Emergency Management Agency has been named the most improved program in the state by the Kentucky Emergency Management Association. Garrard County Emergency Management Director Wendell Hatfield said he nominated Lincoln Emergency Management Director Don Gilliam for the honor because "he's grabbed the bull by the horns and he's got the program going in the right direction. " Gilliam said since he took over as EM director 18 months ago, he's made many changes, including improving monitoring of hazardous materials stored in Lincoln County and reorganizing the county's search and rescue team.

Jessamine County emergency-response agencies and Lexington Hazmat Team 1 were called out Tuesday around 1 p.m. to the Bellerive Kroger Plaza in response to possible hazardous materials in the back of a Rumpke garbage truck. Officials determined there was no threat after an exhaustive search of the truck and its contents, said Nicholasville Fire Department deputy chief Kevin Baker. The driver of the truck claimed he saw “white puffy smoke” and a odd smell and immediately called his supervisors, said Molly Broadwater, a representative of Rumpke Waste and Recycling Services.

A truck driver escaped with minor injuries before his new rig caught fire Wednesday night on Interstate 64. The accident happened between the two Winchester exits at 8:38 p.m. The driver, 31-year-old Eugene Ward Jr. of Columbus, Georgia, told Clark County sheriff’s deputies that he lost control of his 2011 Freightliner tractor-trailer on the wet highway and struck the concrete barrier before the truck hit a ditch and overturned. Ward climbed out through the passenger side before the tractor ignited, Sheriff Berl Perdue Jr. said.

The Jessamine County Fiscal Court will make it easier for those wishing to discard hazardous household waste items during its Fall Hall program on Saturday, Oct. 16, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Those items can be dropped off at the Jessamine County Convenience Center, located at 123 Hendren Way. Hazardous items, such as paint, paint thinners, antifreeze, pesticides and more, will be accepted during the event. According to Environmental Services Director Mike Cassidy, a large number of everyday household materials should be considered hazardous — including some unexpected items such as moth balls, kitchen- and bathroom-cleaning materials, and arts and crafts supplies.

JUNCTION CITY - Junction City Council passed an ordinance Thursday pertaining to spills of hazardous materials and who will bear responsibility for the cleanup costs. Fire and Police Chief Jimmy Gipson said the ordinance is pretty simple: It will allow the city to collect cleanup fees from any person or company causing such an accident. The ordinance was adopted by a unanimous vote. Gipson also received unanimous approval to review possible funding opportunities for an additional fire truck for the city due to population growth.

An adult and three juveniles were removed from a Chestnut Street residence Saturday morning after authorities discovered a working methamphetamine operation. Danville and Boyle County officers discovered the lab after executing a search warrant at 445 Chestnut St. They arrested two adults and a juvenile. "We found pieces of a working meth lab in the residence," said Assistant Danville Police Chief Tony Gray. Brittany McQueary, 24, of the Chestnut Street address, was charged with tampering with evidence.

Those wishing to obtain a commercial driver's licenses will soon have more expense, according to the state's Transportation Cabinet. Effective Tuesday, Sept. 5, at the time of issuance of a CDL permit requiring a skill test, a driver who has held a Kentucky operator's license or permit for 30 days or longer will pay a skill testing fee of $50 in addition to the $11 CDL permit fee. For those who've had their Kentucky operator's license for less than 30 days, a skills testing fee of $150 in addition to the $11 CDL permit fee will be collected.