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October is Fire Prevention Month, and fire officials are reminding residents that one of the most important aspects of fire prevention is to be prepared.

“Make sure that you have a home fire escape plan, and that everybody knows it, so everybody knows the best way out of their room,” said Radcliff Deputy Fire Marshal Tommy Crane. “Tell the kids to remember to get low, and go and practice it. The NFPA recommends, at least twice a year, try to practice and get everybody familiar with what they’re going to do if there is a fire.”

Make sure everybody knows where to meet after evacuating the home, and make sure kids are ready to talk to emergency responders if necessary.

“Make sure that your little ones know your address for your home,” Crane said. “They may be the ones that have to call 911, so make sure they understand your address and what to tell the dispatchers, and also remind them that 911 is only for emergencies.”

The theme for Fire Prevention Month this year is “Smoke Alarms: Make Them Work for You.” Make sure the members of your household know what the smoke alarm and carbon monoxide alarm sound like.

Crane also says sleep with the door closed in case of fire.

“The saying is ‘close when you dose,’ so what that is is that helps keep that smoke and that fire away from you,” Crane said. “If you do hear the smoke alarm go off, maybe you don’t know where the fire is. You want to make sure that you’re checking the door before you open the door, but keep the door closed because if it works in a way where if you’re not able to get out your door, you may have to stay in your room and may have to shelter there until the fire department can get to you.”

Visit the National Fire Protection Association for more fire safety tips.

The Elizabethtown City Council met for their second meeting of the month Monday.

The first reading was held on an ordinance that would extend Comcast’s non-exclusive franchise rights in the city for 15 years.

The council approved on second reading an ordinance that amends the zoning for 204 Jackie Street from future development holding to urban residential general (R-4). The change was recommended for approval by the city’s planning commission.

In other meeting news, Elizabethtown Mayor Jeff Gregory commended the response of the staff at Baptist Health Hardin to the armed gunman incident in the hospital’s emergency room Saturday, and called the response of the Elizabethtown Police Department “textbook.”

“Quite frankly, I wouldn’t trade our PD or our people that work at our PD with anybody anywhere, and I think that is just another reminder of what happened Saturday and why we’re so blessed to have the folks that we do down there at the PD,” Gregory said.

Gregory also announced that trick or treating in the city will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. on October 31. 

The Elizabethtown City Council will next meet October 28.

UPDATE 11/1/24: The Elizabethtown Police Department says George Lee Jr. has been indicted by a Hardin County Grand Jury. Lee faces two charges of Kidnapping, three counts of first degree Wanton Endangerment, one count of Being a Persistent Felony Offender. The EPD says indictment warrants were served upon Lee’s release from the University of Louisville Hospital, and Lee will be lodged in the Hardin County Detention Center.

The Elizabethtown Police Department confronted an armed suspect in a hospital emergency room Saturday morning.

“Shortly after 5:00 a.m. this morning, our officers responded to Baptist Health Hardin, located at 913 North Dixie, on the report of an active shooter,” said EPD Public Information Officer Chris Denham during a press conference Saturday. “Our officers arrived within just a couple of moments of receiving the initial call, encountered the suspect, and an officer did discharge his weapon, striking the suspect. The suspect was not fatally wounded. He was airlifted from the scene to the University of Louisville Hospital where treatment is ongoing.”

The suspect was confronted by unarmed hospital security staff prior to the arrival of officers, and the EPD says the suspect fired shots but nobody else was injured in the incident. Officers with the Hardin County Sheriff’s Office and the Kentucky State Police also responded.

“The criminal investigation concerning the shooting at the hospital will be conducted by the Elizabethtown Police Department,” Denham said. “Any investigation concerning the officer-involved shooting will be handled by the Kentucky State Police Critical Incident Response Team.”

Per standard EPD protocol, the officer involved will be placed on two weeks paid administrative leave.

The EPD identified the suspect Sunday afternoon as 39-year-old George Lee. Jr. of Radcliff. He remains hospitalized in critical but stable condition.

In a statement on their Facebook page, Baptist Health Hardin thanked their staff and security team along with the EPD for their response to the incident, and stated that staff, patients, and visitors were not injured.

The investigation into the incident remains ongoing and charges will be filed as the case progresses.