|
Fire at Mount Pulaski business
[FEB. 23, 2000] "It sounded just like a bomb, followed by a fireball which shot out of the building through a doorway, knocking down a wall," Chief Robert Thomas of the Lincoln Rural Fire Department declared. Firefighters from Atlanta, Beason, Chestnut, Lincoln, rural Lincoln and Mount Pulaski fire departments responded to a report of heavy smoke and some flames at a maintenance building for Mt. Pulaski Products, Skelton Plant. Logan County paramedics also responded and remained on the scene.
|
|
|
Firefighters were called out at 10:13 a.m. yesterday morning. The Lincoln Rural Fire Department, the first on the scene, worked with State Fire Marshal Jim Oliver, using what is commonly known as a "defensive attack." No one was sent into the building immediately, since no people were believed to be inside. As firefighters surrounded the scene, an explosion followed by a fireball erupted. It is believed that an acetylene tank caused the explosion. Three firefighters, Chris Sprinkel, Chad Letterly and Ron Shawgo were sent to the hospital with minor injuries. All suffered burns and one had a knee injury.
|
Decisions were made on the spot as to how to best contain the fire and preserve evidence which will help determine the cause, Thomas explained. The fire marshal will be sifting through and assessing the site -- an "overhaul of the fire" -- this afternoon. The building, tools and maintenance equipment, along with an older water truck were declared a total loss. Total official inventory and dollar amounts have not yet been declared. By fire department estimates there was $85,000 worth of damage. This morning Mt. Pulaski Products had no comment on the issue. |
|
Healthy
Families: [FEB. 21, 2000] Doesn’t it make sense that if you have strong, sound families, you will have a strong, sound community? That’s the feeling of a group of volunteers known as the Healthy Families Task Force. This group wants to impact our community with the strength of healthy families. Their Mission Statement says, "The Healthy Families Task Force recognizes that the workings of a family’s dynamics affect the health of the Logan County community as a whole. Therefore, our goal is to provide support, education and other activities to strengthen and enhance family dynamics."
|
|
|
Leading this group of volunteers is Chairperson Becky Sank, local office administrator at D.H.S. and Co-Chairperson Marcia Dowling, R.N. and education coordinator at the Logan County Health Department. Sank began chairing the task force in December of 1999 after working with Reatha Owen of the Lincoln Parent’s Center. The task force has been operating since the early part of 1999 under the umbrella of the Healthy Communities Partnership. Topping the list of objectives of the Healthy Families Task Force for the year 2000, is an awareness campaign. At their Feb. 17 meeting, this was the first topic of discussion. Feeling that many families and individuals are not aware of the agencies and organizations in Logan County, the task force wants to compile a simple resource listing of all that is available for those seeking assistance. A task force member referred to "something that people will keep, maybe in or with their phone book for an easy reference."
[Members
of the task force meet to
Another top priority of the task force is to address the issue of teen pregnancies in Logan County, not only to prevent teen pregnancies, but also to strive to meet the needs of teen parents and those soon to be teen parents. With education and counseling at Lincoln High School, through the Lincoln Parent’s Center, the task force intends to begin to make a difference. Barbara Follis, a parent educator for the Lincoln Parent’s Center goes to the school once a week to meet with young parents and young expectant parents. "My favorite thing," says Barbara, "is the look on the young, expectant parent’s face when I tell them that their baby’s brain is developing at 250,000 brain cells per minute!"
|
Another approach is to reach the young men involved in teen pregnancies, and to help them understand their roles and responsibilities, spotlighting on prevention. One task force member expressed strongly that this was a key interest, "This is something we (the task force) need to take a look at quickly. We need to be working on this issue." Others agreed, feeling that too much of the time the finger is pointed at the expectant mother while the expectant father is allowed to "walk away." The Healthy Families Task Force is also involved with the Lincoln’s Promise job fair, helping to educate and prepare young people who are going directly from high school into the work force. Task force members will be presenting the teens who attend the job fair with the challenges of job interviews, properly relating to employers and co-workers, and even proper attire. These are some of the volunteer efforts of a group of people who want to be effective in their community by affecting the families in it. According to Chairperson Becky Sank, the task force is now comprised of several local agency representatives. Her desire is to see more people from the community get involved. "We’ve had some new people join, but we need more. I know there are a lot of people out there who would have a lot to offer and add to this task force."
[Curtis Sutterfield]
|
