By: Lisa Johnson

It is hard to explain the extreme effort, risk and cost of standing in line for your community.  This past week while answering a call on the mountain Parkway we experienced a  tire blowout on engine 21  possibly caused by debris from the accident.The front right blew so violently it knocked a hole in the fenderwell ejecting the passenger side headlamp. It was quite a wakeup call at 4:30 am for an overturned vehicle where the driver crawled out leaving the scene before we arrived. A big thanks to Roberts towing and a new tire and 21 is back in service. With the towing and tire that run cost a little over $1400. It was quite an experience we do not care to repeat.  The most important thing is man power and it is difficult to come by as most of our staff have full time jobs! Chief Strange gave a max effort in controlling the incident and keeping the engine off the guardrail , as Lt James Woosly drove in from his home in Clark County to bring engine 23 on scene then  clean all the broken glass off the roadway before rush hour.. A facebook comment  on our site made privately to the chief “you should maintain your vehicle” was not helpful. Our maintenance expenses before this incident for engines 21 and 23 was over $8,000 before this incident. We are looking into the  accident and the vehicle owner may be held responsible for the damage.  If you would like to try your hand at firefighting just stop by the station and tell them I  sent you! A big thanks to all of our local volunteers from Middlefork,Stanton and Clay City Firedepartments!