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As we roll further into fall, if candles are part of your home decor, make sure you are taking steps to reduce fire hazards.

“Preferably, use a candle warmer where it’ll melt the wax enough to release the smell, but you don’t have an open flame,” said Radcliff Deputy Fire Marshal Tommy Crane. “Same way if we’re talking about Halloween decorations, you’re doing your jack-o’-lanterns. Use LED lighting. It’s much better, lasts a little longer, things like that.”

If you do end up using a candle with an open flame, make sure it is in a safe area away from potential hazards such as drapes. Keep it on a flat, stable surface in order to reduce the tip-over risk.

“If you do choose to light a candle, make sure you leave about a half inch of wax at the bottom because that helps absorb the heat, especially if it’s a jar candle, and then make sure you’re keeping that wick trimmed about a quarter inch,” Crane said. “That helps it burn a little better, so if you do choose to use a candle with an open flame, make sure you’re taking care of it.”

Running the candle all the way down in a glass jar runs the potential risk of the jar cracking or shattering due to thermal stress, which can create a fire risk.

Hardin County will launch a ninth full-time ambulance unit, and it will be housed at the West Fardin Fire and Rescue station in White Mills.

According to a release from Hardin County Government, the announcement comes “after months of careful planning and listening to voices from every corner of our county.” The Hardin County Fiscal Court approved a lease agreement between the fire company and the county Tuesday night, with the county paying $250 a month primarily to cover utility expenses.

Hardin County Judge/Executive Keith Taul said in the release: “We considered a 40-hour ambulance at the new White Mills station. After listening to many concerns from people in the western, northern, and southern parts of this large county, I’m excited to partner with our newly merged West Hardin VFD. This amazing cooperative effort will now house the long overdue support and lifesaving care of emergency medical personnel to staff a 9th ambulance.  The other four station ambulances will keep their current staffing.”

West Hardin Fire and Rescue raised about $25,000 to cover renovations for the station to be able to host the ambulance and crew. The county says the cost to taxpayers will be about $300,000 in payroll through the end of the current fiscal year. One of the county’s four reserve ambulances will be put into full-time service.

The county’s goal is to have the unit fully operational by mid-November. Follow the Hardin County Government Facebook page for updates.

As the government shutdown continues, the Central Kentucky Community Action Council Head Start and Early Head Start programs are among the organizations that have grants expiring on October 31.

“November 1 is a time where the Central Kentucky Community Action Council will no longer have access to federal funds to operate our Head Start and Early Head Start centers across our six counties, and so that does put us in a situation where our 400 children and their families, as well as almost 150 staff members, are in a precarious situation,” said CKCAC Executive Director Bryan Conover.

With the November 1 cutoff approaching, the Central Kentucky Community Action Board of Directors on Monday unanimously approved a stop-gap solution. The organization is pursuing a line of credit from People’s Bank of Lebanon that will allow normal Head Start operations to continue until November 21.

Conover stressed that this is not a permanent solution, and said reopening the government to support programs like Head Start is not a partisan issue. It’s a people issue.

“We need our people taken care of and we need to make sure that our children, the most vulnerable of us in our communities, are able to get the early childhood education they so desperately need, and the nutrition services and the therapy services and just the socialization opportunities,” Conover said. “It’s really just a really important opportunity for the federal government to reopen and let us take care of our kiddos and our families.”

Contact Central Kentucky Community Action for more information.