| In anticipation of the winter storm our area experienced last week, your hometown firefighters at Lake Jericho Fire & Rescue enacted a department Level 3 response procedure, that allowed them to begin preparations for and coordinate planning, information sharing, and potential response challenges that could have been experienced. This has been a common place action for them to do for any potential storm or severe weather event since 201. After closely monitoring NWS and other weather outlets and any indication of a weather event that could possibly cause an increase in call volume, challenges to their response or has the potential to cause an increase issue to the communities well being. This time the Kentucky State Police Post # 5 hosted a much needed and welcomed weather response pre-brief with other are first response stakeholders about projected potential needs. This was monumental in assisting the Lake Jericho Fire & Rescue Team with a more realistic assessment of what we could expect from the other agencies as far as response and resource capabilities. The Lake Jericho team immediately held their operational readiness briefs and continued to conduct them every 12 hour during the preparedness and operational periods till the event ended.
Public Information Officer Division Chief Bill Spicer said “Our focus was to ensure we could move quickly and safely to continue to properly respond robustly to emergencies, to support vulnerable citizens, all while maintaining our fire department family team’s safety and we were prepared to do just that.”
Assistant Chief Bryan Patterson the department’s Assistant Chief of Administration said that although we did not receive no where near the amount and type of weather expected and only a few requests for service it was awesome to have all of this come together the way it did. The communication and resource identification that was exchanged pre-and during the event was re-re-assuring. Our Judge Executive, our two Magistrates, the adjacent mutual aid City of Campbellsburg Mayor, his City Clerk and their a Public Works Director working hand in hand with ensuring we had the adequate support and resources available. Campbellsburg Fire Chiefs and Command staff, the leadership of our Henry County Sheriff’s Office, the KSP post Commander that arranged the agency stakeholder responsible pre-brief and the list goes on. It’s what we should see and what our community should expect which is an industry standard, professional orchestrated and a responsibly executed preparedness approach. Our department Emergency Action Plan, COOP PLAN, and review of applicable County Emergency Operations Plan was opened, reviewed, implemented and it worked just as we train to use it. Our department after action brief was conducted and gave us a great snapshot of how it all transpired and the lessons learned on the things we should continue to do and what if anything we could do better. On-top of everything going on our crews received some great days of EMS and Fire training every single day of the event.
There were so many humbling experiences we encountered when in preparation and during the response said James Tomlinson; the department’s Executive Board President; as our crews were in the preparedness and response phases we had our area businesses, volunteers and families come forward and commit to answer the call if we began to experience taxing of our resources that we normally don’t experience. Kasselman family McDonald’s who was willing to support us in our purchasing of food to feed any potential storm refugees, Roger Hartlage at Nationwide Hardware & Fence ensuring we were able to obtain last minute needed items, John & Kelly Dockter at Wilder’s Corner who stayed open for us as the storm began for our on-duty crews so that they could obtain some last minute great sandwiches. We had experienced volunteers come forward with ATV’s, four wheel drive vehicles that could assist with carrying priority personnel and assist with extraction of citizens and potential patients. Families came forward with food & hot cocoa & coffee, people offering many extra full propane cylinders, use of extra portable generators, and those offering pet food in case we had winter storm family pet refugees.
We do want to thank our community for being so kind and supportive as they always are. We love our community and our county. We especially want to recognize some of the ones that seem to always step forward first each and every-time we as a department experience any challenge and ensures that we never do it alone.
Our Judge Executive Scott Bates
Magistrate Roger Hartlage
Magistrate Danny Shane
Mayor David Gray/ City of Campbellsburg
City Clerk Kim Boyer/ City of Campbellsburg
Director of Public Works Bill Brown/ City of Campbellsburg
John & Kelley Dockter /Wilder’s Corner
Emily Kasselman & Her Team/Kasselman Family McDonald’s
Colonel Josh Jamiel/ Henry County Sheriff’s Office
Mr. Beau Cummins Towing and Recovery
Frank & Amy Charles
And all the community members that stopped and offered everything that they did but did not wish to be mentioned. In total and additional 6 families offering to come out to help . Wilder’s Corner who stayed open for us as the storm began for our on-duty crews so that they could obtain some last minute great sandwiches. We had experienced volunteers come forward with ATV’s, four wheel drive vehicles that could assist with carrying priority personnel and assist with extraction of citizens and potential patients. A long standing support to our department came forward with food, water, hot cocoa & coffee, people offering many extra full propane cylinders, use of extra portable generators, and those offering pet food in case we had winter storm family pet refugees. |
