After much effort the Russell County Emergency Management and Russell County Fiscal Court received an awards letter last Thursday, August 21, informing that Russell County had been approved for the Safe Room Project grant.

The two-year process results in the county receiving a $350,000 grant to build five safe rooms throughout the county for use in weather related or other emergencies.

“The process started after we had this tornado that hit back in 2012,” said Judge/Executive Gary Robertson, referring to the tornado that tore through the Webbs Crossroads area. “There were several counties that this came available to and several people put applications in. We were notified a year ago we were one of the finalists.”

Each sold, prefabricated structure will hold 100 residents or more as needed and will be constructed one each in each magisterial district. Each is approximately 500 square feet.

The locations will be at South Russell Fire Department, South Hwy. 92 near the Jamestown Head Start building, Russell County Rescue Squad, North Hwy. 127 near the junction of Hwy. 76 and North Hwy. 127 at the auto auction building and at the Eli Fire Department.

The FEMA originated grant requires the stand alone safe rooms be built under stringent standards to withstand weather emergencies.

In order to receive the grant the county must have matching funds of $87,000 of which most will be provided by either “in-kind” or property, according to Emergency Manager H. M. Bottom.

In-kind refers to work equivalency or cost equivalent materials provided by the county.

The one room buildings provide water, seating, restrooms, blankets and other emergency supplies as needed.

Bottom said the current usage of the courthouse and cooperation with local churches to provide shelters in such an emergency has gone well and is well appreciated, but that coordination efforts can be difficult. The new facilities will leave no question as to whether a facility will be open and available if the need arises, according to Bottom, and there will always be someone responsible for opening and policing the safe rooms.

“If you’ve got five places scattered throughout the county that will handle up to 100 people, that’s going to take a good amount of people that had previously been unable to go anywhere,” said Robertson. “Of course the basement of the courthouse will remain available.”

The bidding process for the construction of the safe rooms will likely begin late this year or early next, according to Robertson.

“It’s our responsibility to see to the welfare of the whole population of Russell County,” said Bottom.

“And this, added to the 28 warning sirens, the Code Red that we’ve accomplished and all this, we felt like this county is in as good a shape as any in the state, I believe.”

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Mayor Terry Lawless reported that the Kentucky Fire Commission desires to relocate their regional training facilities to Jamestown at the August meeting of the Jamestown City Council Thursday night, August 21.

“They’re interested in about five acres of land to build some facilities and put their training facilities here,” Lawless said.

The facility may provide a couple of full-time jobs but the main effect of the relocation to Jamestown’s Industrial Park will be the hosting of training sessions which will increase the use of hotels, restaurants and other businesses in town.

The council voted to give the mayor the authority to negotiate a lease agreement with the Kentucky Fire Commission.

The Kentucky Fire Commission is part of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System that works with federal, state and local agencies to provide the State Fire Rescue Training program.

Through the college system, supported by all 16 community and technical colleges, the commission website says:

“Our degree program has the support of the Kentucky Commission on Fire Protection, Personnel, Standards and Education and is based on standards and regulations provided by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Occupational Safety and Health Agency (OSHA), Federal Department of Transportation, Kentucky Firefighters Association (KFA), Kentucky Professional Fire Fighters (KPFF), and the Kentucky Association of Fire Chiefs (KFC). Portions of the curriculum are affected by the Kentucky Emergency Medical Services Council and Kentucky Emergency Response Commission. Additional accreditation is provided through the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC).”

“They not only train firefighters but the general public as a whole,” said Lawless. “They have classes on different things like Hazmat classes, just different things.”

A full range of training programs are offered to all disciplines of emergency response, including: fire prevention and fire suppression, response to technical rescue incidents, emergency medical services, response to hazardous material incidents, leadership and management and community awareness and preparation.

Over the past five years they have trained over 80,000 in one of their 14 area offices strategically placed across Kentucky, and now Jamestown will be one of them.

Lawless said they were looking for a more central location within the region in which to place their training facility.