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<pubDate>Thu, 17 May 2012 00:54:26 EDT</pubDate>
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<title>Live News Of  From Jessamine County Fire District</title>
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<title>Jessamine County Fire District News</title>
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 	<title>JCFD sends team of firefighters to West Liberty, KY</title>
  	<category>News</category>
 <link>http://www.jcfire.com/news/fullstory/newsid/158243</link>
 <description>
  
 <![CDATA[&nbsp;

By Mike Moore

mmoore@jessaminejournal.com




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.

âJeff
Anderson (former fire chief in Wilmore and current chief in Morehead) got the
initial call from Morgan County because they were able to establish radio
contact with them,â Rupard said. âHis conversation with them was, âSend
everything youâve got; weâre completely destroyed.ââ

Rupard
said once B.E.R.T. arrived, the level of destruction was unfathomable. âEverything
was collapsed,â he said. âTelephone lines were down, electric wires and trees
were across the roads, and there was so much debris on Main Street that they
were pushing up and cutting paths to get through town. It reminded me of a war
zone; the pictures really donât do it justice.â Once
B.E.R.T. arrived, they located county and city officials and began setting up.

âThey
were in a parking lot outside a bank working out of a small utility trailer,â
Rupard said. âWe helped them set up a command and control center; they had
total control and making all the decisions; we just told them what we could
offer.â

Rupard
said when B.E.R.T. arrived, the scene was total chaos. âThey
(Morgan County leaders) were doing a great job, but they were just so
overwhelmed with so much stuff going on,â Rupard said. Rupard
assumed the role of assigning and coordinating search-and-rescue teams. âI
put squads together for urban search and rescue,â he said. âWe were sending
teams out in a 15-mile radius from the center of town.â

Rupard
said West Liberty had several firefighters willing to help, but because of the
extent of the damage, their equipment was destroyed with the rest of the town. We
used them more as a resource of radio communications and as guides into town,â
he said. âWhenever we sent people in to (search an area), theyâd know the
location, and it was quicker because we didnât have to look at maps. They could
take us right to the area.â

Because
of the uncertainty of the structures, the first night, search-and-rescue teams
performed âhastyâ searches, looking through windows and listening for people
crying out. âWe
didnât do any void-type (going into collapsed buildings) until 9 the next
morning,â Rupard said. âThe structural engineer would evaluate the buildings to
see if they were structurally sound before we went in. (The first night), we
made entry into some of the homes where maybe the roof was just going or the
windows were broken out.â

The
first night, firefighters located three deceased people and assisted several
injured people out of houses. âWe
had a lot of walking wounded, and the majority of the people were just more or
less in shock and people were just wandering around,â Rupard said.

Saturday
morning, three members of the Nicholasville Fire Department were called up to
provide hazardous-material services, Lt. Johnny Adams said. âWhen
we arrived, we walked into a war zone. It was something Iâve never experienced
in my life,â he said. âIâve seen tornado damage, flood damage, people burned
out of their homes on large fires, but it really didnât prepare me for what we
walked in on.â

Adams
said the stateâs unified command system did wonders in helping with the
situation.&nbsp;

âThey
had commanders from the Bluegrass Emergency Response Team, the local Morgan
County judge-executiveâs office, Kentucky State Emergency Management all in
place in a command role,â he said.

The
Nicholasville firefighters were placed in operations under Rupard and were
assigned to a bulk fuel storage facility on the southeastern side of West
Liberty. âWe
were to observe and find out what the needs were for any hazards we found,â
Adams said. âWe monitored the air quality and checked for any hazards. When we
determined it was safe, the entire crew entered and we kkperformed assesments
and we shut off valves and uprighted containers that were leaking.â

Later,
the NFD members were assigned to a search-dog team as they went from building
to building looking for victims. âIf
the dogs hit on something, the crew would start digging through the
debris to try to remove victims,â Adams said. âThe dogs never hit on anything.â

Adams
praised the efforts of B.E.R.T. and the Jessamine County firefighters who
arrived the night before. âWhat
they were doing all throughout the night, searching and trying to find people
trapped, their efforts were tenfold more than what we were doing,â he said.

B.E.R.T. training

Rupard
said Jessamine County has been a member of B.E.R.T. since 1995, and this was
the first major natural disaster it has worked. âWe
have worked some small stuff, but nothing ever to the magnitude of a whole
town,â Rupard said. âBy being there, you really just had to take it in and ask,
âWhere do you start?â As soon as you pulled into town, you really could just
start working right then. âWe
had 20 hours of solid work time and four hours of travel. Once we stepped out
of the truck, we didnât stop until we left.â

Adams
said no training could prepare firefighters for what they saw in West Liberty. âWe
saw things that you cannot mock up,â he said. âThere is no training that you
can go through to prepare us for what we saw down there. And itâs something I
really hope we never have to do again, but if we do, hopefully we will be
better prepared.â

&nbsp;

...]]>
 
  </description>
 <guid>http://www.jcfire.com/news/fullstory/newsid/158243</guid>
    <pubDate>Tue, 13 Mar 2012 12:03:36 -0400</pubDate>
  
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  <item>
 	<title>Three grants awarded to JCFD</title>
  	<category>News</category>
 <link>http://www.jcfire.com/news/fullstory/newsid/157299</link>
 <description>
  
 <![CDATA[The Jessamine County Fire District is pleased to announce they receipt of three grants totaling $11,186.00.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;
Kentucky American Water Company awarded a grant to JCFD&nbsp; in the amount of $494.00.&nbsp; This grant , available to fire departments and emergency services within Kentucky Americans service area, was for the purchase of an Automated External De-fibrillation (A.E.D.) training device.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;
Kentucky Emergency Management awarded JCFD a grant for $3820.00 for the purchase of side sonar and rope rescue equipment.&nbsp; Side Scan Sonar is technology used to create images of large areas of&nbsp; the floor of lakes, rivers and other waterways on board a watercraft.&nbsp; This technology will assist in the recovery of drowning victims on waterways like the Kentucky River.&nbsp; Over the years recovery teams have blindly searched for victims, sometimes for days.&nbsp; Side Scan Sonar will be able to pinpoint victims in the water quickly and efficiently.&nbsp; These funds will also be used to replace four rope rescue harnesses that have been outdated due to technological advancements.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;
Kentucky Office of Homeland Security awarded JCFD a grant for $6,872.00 for the purchase of Self Contained Breathing Apparatus, (SCBA) used in confined space rescues.&nbsp; Confined space rescue involves victims trapped in a confined space or only accessible through&nbsp; confined spaces such as underground vaults, storage silos storage tanks and sewers.&nbsp; Confined space rescue can be technically challenging due to the environment in which they occur.&nbsp; Narrow and constricting, preventing easy access, unlit or poorly lit and many times in hazardous or toxic environments, there hazards are other fatal as they create a limited window for rescue
&nbsp;
The Fire District like many other government agencies is experiencing budget cuts due to a loss in revenue caused by the poor economy.&nbsp; This year our board of trustees recognized these downfalls and was presented the option to increase tax rates to subsidize the loss of revenue.&nbsp; The Fire District's board of trustees recognized that the public is also experiencing the same financial difficulties and opted to make cuts from the operational budget instead of placing more burden on the taxpayers.&nbsp; The Fire District is committed to seeking grants like the ones we have been awarded so that we can offset the operational costs to operate what we feel is one of the best fire districts in the state of Kentucky..&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

&nbsp;...]]>
 
  </description>
 <guid>http://www.jcfire.com/news/fullstory/newsid/157299</guid>
    <pubDate>Thu, 01 Mar 2012 17:03:26 -0500</pubDate>
  
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  <item>
 	<title>Happy New Year</title>
  	<category>News</category>
 <link>http://www.jcfire.com/news/fullstory/newsid/152520</link>
 <description>
  
 <![CDATA[The Jessamine County Fire District wishes everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year!...]]>
 
  </description>
 <guid>http://www.jcfire.com/news/fullstory/newsid/152520</guid>
    <pubDate>Wed, 28 Dec 2011 10:12:06 -0500</pubDate>
  
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  <item>
 	<title>JCFD Christmas</title>
  	<category>News</category>
 <link>http://www.jcfire.com/news/fullstory/newsid/151225</link>
 <description>
  
 <![CDATA[Jessamine County Fire District held it's annual Christmas dinner on December 10, 2011.Approximately 150 firefighters and family members gathered for a great dinner and annual awards ceremony.&nbsp; Congratulations to the following for the awards they received:&nbsp;FF Jordan Brown&nbsp; Probie of the YearFF Johnny Carpenter&nbsp; Firefighter of the YearLt. Mike Cassity&nbsp; Officer of the Year...]]>
 
  </description>
 <guid>http://www.jcfire.com/news/fullstory/newsid/151225</guid>
    <pubDate>Sun, 11 Dec 2011 07:12:30 -0500</pubDate>
  
  </item>
  
  
  <item>
 	<title>Seasons Greetings from JCFD</title>
  	<category>News</category>
 <link>http://www.jcfire.com/news/fullstory/newsid/151192</link>
 <description>
  
 <![CDATA[Jessamine County Fire District wishes everyone a happy and healthy holiday season....]]>
 
  </description>
 <guid>http://www.jcfire.com/news/fullstory/newsid/151192</guid>
    <pubDate>Sat, 10 Dec 2011 12:12:46 -0500</pubDate>
  
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  <item>
 	<title>Annual BERT meeting held in Jessamine County</title>
  	<category>News</category>
 <link>http://www.jcfire.com/news/fullstory/newsid/149323</link>
 <description>
  
 <![CDATA[The Bluegrass Emergency Response Team (B.E.R.T.) held their annual meeting at the Jessamine County Fire District Station 1 on Thursday night.&nbsp; On hand were BERT committee members, Politicians, Firemen, Police and First Responders from across the BERT Region.
What is BERT?
A regional response team serving Bourbon, Clark, Estill, Garrard, Fayette, Harrison, Jessamine, Madison, Nicholas, Powell and Woodford Counties.
What does BERT offer to your community?

    Hazmat incident mitigation and threat stabilization
    Response to weapons of mass destruction incidents
    Natural Disaster response assistance
    Rescue Operations that include rope, cave,trench, confined space and urban search and rescue operations
    Response to radiological emergencies
    Assistance to local responders in mitigating large scale emergencies

The Bluegrass Emergency Response Team is made up of local emergency responders from the region.&nbsp; It is&nbsp;their goal and mission to assist in the mitigation and preparedness for a number of large scale incidents.&nbsp; The members of this team are firefighters, emergency management officials, experts in their fields of response and all of that is available to your community with one phone call.
Protection for the Region and for the Commonwealth in:

    HAZMAT
    RESCUE
    DISASTER&nbsp;RESPONSE
    RADIOLOGICAL
    MASS&nbsp;CASUALTY

&nbsp;...]]>
 
  </description>
 <guid>http://www.jcfire.com/news/fullstory/newsid/149323</guid>
    <pubDate>Sat, 12 Nov 2011 17:11:18 -0500</pubDate>
  
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  <item>
 	<title>Training Burn in Wilmore</title>
  	<category>News</category>
 <link>http://www.jcfire.com/news/fullstory/newsid/148856</link>
 <description>
  
 <![CDATA[Over 50 Firefighters and Instructors conducted a Live Fire Training in Wilmore.&nbsp; Sponsored by the Wilmore Fire Department, training in Fire Ground Operations, Hose Advancement and Fire Attack was&nbsp;conducted under the watchful eye of the Kentucky Fire Commission's department of State Fire Rescue Training.&nbsp; Firefighters from Wilmore, Nicholasville, Jessamine County, Lexington, Danville, Boyle County, Lancaster and Stamping Ground all got in on some awesome training.&nbsp;...]]>
 
  </description>
 <guid>http://www.jcfire.com/news/fullstory/newsid/148856</guid>
    <pubDate>Sun, 06 Nov 2011 09:11:08 -0500</pubDate>
  
  </item>
  
  
  <item>
 	<title>Large Animal Rescue Training</title>
  	<category>News</category>
 <link>http://www.jcfire.com/news/fullstory/newsid/148076</link>
 <description>
  
 <![CDATA[Jessamine County Firefighters conducted specialized rescue training on Tuesday.&nbsp; Bart Powell of KLAER was on hand to demonstrate the use of&nbsp;the &amp;quot;A&amp;quot; Frame system to lift large animals from one area and move them to another. See more Photo's in our Photo Gallery....]]>
 
  </description>
 <guid>http://www.jcfire.com/news/fullstory/newsid/148076</guid>
    <pubDate>Thu, 27 Oct 2011 08:10:35 -0400</pubDate>
  
  </item>
  
  
  <item>
 	<title>Rope Technician Training</title>
  	<category>News</category>
 <link>http://www.jcfire.com/news/fullstory/newsid/148078</link>
 <description>
  
 <![CDATA[Jessamine County Fire District is in the process of training 5 new Rope Rescue Technicians.&nbsp; FF Wiley Adams, FF Jordan Brown, FF John Preston, FF Andrew Stramer and FF Mark Thomas conducted High Line Rope Training as part of their certification.&nbsp; Thanks to Asbury Seminary for use of the property....]]>
 
  </description>
 <guid>http://www.jcfire.com/news/fullstory/newsid/148078</guid>
    <pubDate>Thu, 27 Oct 2011 09:10:31 -0400</pubDate>
  
  </item>
  
  
  <item>
 	<title>Fire Prevention at Southland</title>
  	<category>News</category>
 <link>http://www.jcfire.com/news/fullstory/newsid/147944</link>
 <description>
  
 <![CDATA[Jessamine County Firefighters make their anual trip to Southland Christian Church for Fire Prevention Week with the children from the church day care.&nbsp; The children had the oppertunity to view a DVD's from the Ranibow Valley Fire Prevention library teaching lessons on &amp;quot;Fire in your house&amp;quot;.&nbsp; The children also took a tour of Ladder 1 which is housed at Jessamine County Fire Station 6 at Bellerive Plaza....]]>
 
  </description>
 <guid>http://www.jcfire.com/news/fullstory/newsid/147944</guid>
    <pubDate>Tue, 25 Oct 2011 08:10:56 -0400</pubDate>
  
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