Story - The Meade County Messenger


Vol. 114, No. ??	Month DAY, 2007

Pausing to remember. . .
Meade County Fire District celebrates 50th anniversary in September ceremonies

By LARRY SEE JR.
Messenger Staff

In 1957, the Meade County Fire Department was organized. Shortly after their organization the Meade County Fiscal Court purchased the first fire apparatus, which cost $13,300.

The district has gone a long way since, according to Fire Chief Larry Naser.

“To achieve the manpower we needed (at the time) the county fire department was created by using the firefighters from the City of Brandenburg,” Naser said. “So essentially they were members of both departments.”

The county fire department, at the time, covered the majority of the county, with the exception of Brandenburg and Muldraugh.

“This was essentially the true Meade County,” Naser said. “Our size has decreased now since other departments have come on board.”

Naser praised the dedicated firefighters the department has had over the years, indicating those for which the department has addresses for have been sent invitations to the event.

The event, planned for the Otter Creek Park lodge on Sunday, Sept. 16, starts with light refreshments at 2 p.m. with a chance for firefighters to reminisce about the past 50 years.

At 4 p.m., the formal ceremonies will occur.

While reminiscing on the past, Naser also spent time looking toward the future.

Some of those future items include a new location for Station 1, sealed by the district board at their last meeting.

“After that we need to do some renovations and modernizations at Station 2,” Naser said. “And we also need to have some more career people involved down the road.”

A long-term goal, Naser said, might be the possibility of a third station.

Naser also wanted to see the construction of a local firefighting training center.

“That is part of the overall key factor as we work to reduce our insurance rate,” Naser said.

“Right now we’re covering 60 square miles and as we start getting an influx of people the demand for services is going to increase,” Naser said.

“What we’re doing now is going to be markedly different than 10 years from now, especially with the types and number of responses and the complexity of the materials,” he said.

As people arrive, so do cars and Naser predicted transportation forthcoming transportation improvements could tax the firefighters. Specifically mentioned were the proposed new connector taking travelers to I-65 and the completion of Bypass Road.

Other changes, in addition to the traffic increase, could result in increase of both commerical and pleasure boat traffic along the Ohio River.

“Those rescues are not going to be simple,” Naser said. He also expressed concern about the proposed riverport facility, indicating that will bring more and varied rescues.

As residents move into Meade County as part of the BRAC realignment at Fort Knox, they’re going to be seeking services, Naser said.

“We’re going to have to continue to meet the demand, but we’re going to have to do it a little bit differently than we have done in the past,” he said.

The department only has had one firefighter die in the line of duty, something Naser was understandably pleased with. The department was enroute to a structure fire in Battletown in 1973 when the tanker encountered mechanical difficulties, resulting in the driver’s death.

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