Fiscal Court recognizes Fire Chief Anthony Young, local first responders

Published 11:44 am Thursday, February 2, 2023

The Fiscal Court presented retiring Perryville Fire Chief Anthony Young with a certificate of appreciation at their meeting on Jan. 24.

Judge Executive Trille Bottom said she’s known Young for many years and appreciates his dedicated service.

“Anthony is the epitome of public service to me because he has served in Perryville in multi-faceted positions, mostly he has served in emergency services in Perryville,” Bottom said.

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Young has been a volunteer member of the Perryville Fire Department for 36 years, and has been chief for 17 years.

“That to me says a lot about Anthony’s character and his love for his community,” Bottom said. “Whenever there’s an emergency in Perryville, Anthony is on the scene, he is there. I’ve watched him be in charge of the parade routes for years, he’ll be down there directing the traffic and making sure everything’s flowing the way it needs to go.”

The court also gave challenge coins to four local first responders.

Bottom explained that in 2012, Boyle County EMS started building a system to save more lives for patients experiencing chest pain; and in 2015 started an initiative to save more patients who experience out of hospital cardiac arrest.

This year, they started recognizing EMS providers for saving a life by presenting them with challenge coins. Bottom said last year in Boyle County, cardiac arrest happened 70 times.

“The best part of Boyle County EMS by far is their commitment to the people of Boyle County who will always be trained and ready to save a life,” Bottom said.

She presented challenge coins to Medical Director Eric Guerrant, Captain Michael Mattingly, Paramedic Jana McGarvey, and EMT Jeff Russell.

“For them to be able to take a patient who had completely stopped breathing, and bring them back with a heartbeat, and that person left the hospital on their own free will, is just a wonderful testament to the kind of people we have working for us,” Bottom said.

Fire prevention campaign

Lynn Washbish, executive director of American Red Cross in Lexington, which covers Boyle and 27 other counties, asked the court for help with a home fire campaign.

Washbish said the number one disaster they respond to is home fires. Last year Boyle County had 14 home fires that they assisted with, totalling $8,400.

Washbish is in talks with the fire marshal and others in the county about a home fire campaign where they go into people’s homes to install smoke detectors for free, teach people to prepare a plan and have a route for how to escape a fire.

She asked the court for $2,500 in financial assistance to help with the program. They will be working on a plan to give out alarms, either by appointment, or will do a neighborhood campaign where there’s already been fires.

In other business, the court:

• Appointed Magistrate Tom Ellis as Judge Pro Tempore.

• Appointed Ruby Cline-Eaton and Stacey Coontz to the Human Rights Commission.

• Reappointed Joseph Myers to the Ethics Board.

• Made an assistant road supervisor position. They decided to make the road supervisor a position permanent, instead of hiring a road engineer. When the county needs an engineer, they can get help from either the new county surveyor or Danville’s engineer.

• Was introduced to new Planning and Zoning Director Mikaela Gerry. She will be working to make a new joint comprehensive plan with Danville, Junction City and Perryville. She said since the last update to the plan was five years ago, they are looking to do a full rewrite which hasn’t happened in a long time.

• Heard an update from Main Street Perryville Director Aly Huff. She said the restoration work on Dr. Polk’s house is underway; exterior work should be done in the next month, and interior work will begin after that. Recently, they have been offered Dr. Polk’s doctor’s kit, and will acquire the chair he used for patients.

They are also working on an archives project, partnering with Friends of Perryville Battlefield to move Main Street artifacts that haven’t been stored properly to a location to be organized, catologued, stored properly, and moved back to Perryville in a museum.

• The Junction City Fire Department is having its annual pancake breakfast on Saturday, Feb. 4 from 8 to 11 a.m. at 726 Shelby Street. There will be pancakes, bacon, sausage, and eggs.

Admission is $8, children 5 and under eat free.

• Approved the purchase of 50 E-poll books for $87,375 at a special called meeting on Jan. 31. They will be used at voting locations. The state will refund the county for this purchase, and the books are under a three year contract.