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Breckinridge County Emergency Management encourages residents to stay informed

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Breckinridge County Emergency Management Director Justin Frazier says it is important for the community to stay up to date on the latest information during an emergency or a disaster.

“One of the best ways that the community can stay informed is through our Code Red automated text and email service,” Frazier said. “There’s also an app that you can download from both app stores. It’s just called Code Red.”

Links and QR codes that take you to download the app or sign up for alerts can be found on the Breckinridge County Emergency Management Facebook page.

“This is going to be the fastest and the most accurate way to get emergency information to Breckinridge County citizens,” Frazier said

Frazier said after the alerts county officials will get information out via local radio stations followed by county social media accounts. He also cautioned residents on completely relying on social media posts they see.

“Social media is great, but a lot of the information that gets put out on social media lacks context, and it lacks the direction that the community needs,” Frazier said. “I’m going to use social media. I’m going to use it to help people prepare for disasters and emergencies. I’m going to give them updates on our training and all that kind of stuff, but really, the Code Red app and listening to the local radio stations are going to be the best way to get up-to-date emergency information.”

Visit the Breckinridge County Emergency Management Facebook page for more information.

Residents advised on burning restrictions during Fall Forest Fire Hazard Season

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State fire officials are reminding residents to take precautions to protect their homes and natural areas during Fall Forest Fire Hazard Season, which runs October 1 through December 15.

“During the late fall through early spring, since everything goes dormant, the leaves fall, the grass dies down and all that stuff is technically dry,” said Radcliff Deputy Fire Marshal Tommy Crane. “Yeah, we may have some rain, some snow, but the grasses and a lot of the brush are still technically dry because they’re dormant.”

During Fall Forest Fire Hazard Season, burning is prohibited within 150 feet of woodland or brushland between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. If you plan to burn debris, only burn natural vegetation during evening hours when conditions are less windy, keep fire tools handy, and never leave a fire unattended.

Crane says consider alternatives to burning such as limb removal and leaf pickup services offered by the cities. Always check with your local fire department ahead of any burning.

“Anytime you’re burning, whether it’s in this restricted time or whatever time of year it is, always check to make sure with your local ordinances on what is allowed and what’s not allowed because we want to take care of our neighbors and we want to make sure that we don’t burn down anybody else’s wooded area or anything like that,” Crane said.

More information is available on the Kentucky Division of Forestry’s website.

Grant awarded to ECTC will go towards STEM lab

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A grant will help lead to more student pathways at Elizabethtown Community and Technical College.

ECTC was recently awarded a $100,000 grant from the Legacy Foundation, which will be used to establish the Legacy Foundation STEM Lab at the college.

ECTC said in a release: “The innovative new initiative is aimed at expanding access to allied health pathways and improving student success in key STEM courses.” 

The college says the grant will help ECTC play a vital role in producing highly skilled healthcare professionals.

The STEM Lab will be located near ECTC’s Allied Health classrooms. The lab will include a full-time professional tutor to support students studying for required courses in selective healthcare programs such as nursing.

The ECTC Foundation previously received a $100,000 grant from the Legacy Foundation in May which also supported the college’s Allied Health programming. Learn more about healthcare opportunities and other programs at the college by visiting the ECTC website.

Vine Grove and West Point receive stormwater project funding

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Area cities were included in project funding to address sewer overflow and stormwater needs in rural communities.

According to a release from the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet, “the infrastructure projects receiving funding will make use of plant or soil systems, permeable surfaces, stormwater harvest and reuse, or landscaping to manage stormwater and reduce flows to sewer systems or to surface waters.” 

The City of West Point will receive $300,000 for work at Veterans Park.

“It’s going to create a bioswale and a rain garden in the Veterans Park, where we have a really low spot where water tends to accumulate anyway, and the purpose of this grant is to clean that up and also reduce the runoff into the river,” said West Point Mayor Richard Ciresi.

The City of Vine Grove will receive $270,605 for the Rose Creek Stream Restoration Project.

“We’ve had issues with Rose Creek, I would probably say, for at least 20 years, so we have been trying to get the funding together to remedy the issue that we have going on in that area, so to me, this is amazing,” said Vine Grove Mayor Pam Ogden.

The funding comes from the Sewer Overflow and Stormwater Reuse Municipal Grant Program. Projects are anticipated to be completed by September 2028. Learn more on the Kentucky Division of Water’s website.

KSP recognizes personnel during annual Sworn Awards Ceremony

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The Kentucky State Police on Thursday recognized 61 troopers, detectives, and officers from across the commonwealth during their Sworn Awards Ceremony. The awards recognize KSP personnel who went above and beyond the call of service.

Each post recognized a Detective of the Year and a Trooper of the Year. For KSP Post Four, Detective of the Year was presented to Master Trooper and Public Affairs Officer Bryan Washer.

“Anytime you’re rewarded with that kind of award, it makes you feel really good about the work that you put in that year,” Washer said. “2024, we had a lot of homicides, we had assaults and sexual assaults, and there’s just a lot of investigations that I was a part of and working that year, but it feels good to be recognized.”

The KSP Post Four Trooper of the Year award was presented to Trooper Jesse Harp. Post Four Trooper Matthew Hendricks was presented with the Lifesaving Medal for his response to a collision in November 2024.

“What he did that night, there was a tractor-trailer involved with another car,” Washer said. “The car was on fire and he had to break out the window of the passenger car and get a one-year-old out of the vehicle, and then while the car was still on fire, he had to go back into the car and get another child, I think it was a six-year-old, out of the car. He took the door off of the car and cut the seatbelt off and got the six-year-old out of the vehicle.”

Washer said the officers will tell you they were doing what any other officer would do, but he was happy to see them recognized.

“This post is extremely busy when it comes to investigations and activity, and what these guys are doing out on the road,” Washer said. “If you had a radio on or were able to listen to some of the calls that they’re getting, they’re constantly going from call to call, or we’re doing safety work on the interstates. The troopers are super busy all the time.”

For KSP Post Three, Detective of the Year was presented to Detective Allen Shirley, and Trooper of the Year was presented to Trooper Grant Robinson. Six Post Three officers received other awards and citations.

The KSP says statewide troopers responded to more than 412,000 calls for assistance last year. Learn more and find a complete list of award-winners on the KSP’s website.