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    Jo Gabhart Retires After 50 Years of Service

    Gratitude goes to Johanna Gabhart (Jo) for her great service and dedication to the Buechel Fire Protection District as well as the people of Buechel. She is retiring after serving over 50 years with the department as the treasurer in which she began in January of 1959.

    Jo was born in Stanford KY and moved to Louisville when she was 12 then graduated from Jeffersontown High School. Afterward she attended Business College then began her employment at Bank of Louisville where she worked for 10 years. She later quit the bank to begin a family with her husband and they had a son (Roger) and step daughter (Bobbie Sue). Jo went back to work for PNC bank later retiring after 24 years. In January of 1959 the Board of Directors of the Buechel Fire Department Inc approached Jo about becoming the part-time treasurer for the department in which she accepted and has continued to serve until her retirement on June 30, 2009. She also served on that Board of Directors from February of 1990 until June of 1995.

    Words alone cannot show enough gratitude for her dedication and love for the members of the department and the job she has done.

    Thank you Jo for your years of service, friendship and guidance you will truly be missed.

    Officers Promotions

    The following Officers were re-appointed on 6-16-2009

    Tony Downes – Major, Two Year Term expiring 6-30-2011

    Steve Wolfe – Captain, Two Year Term expiring 6-30-2011

    Troy Graviss – Lieutenant, Two Year Term expiring 6-30-2011

    Todd Early – Lieutenant, Two Year Term expiring 6-30-2011

    Andy Downes – Lieutenant, Two Year expiring 6-30-2011

    Jake Barker was Appointed to fill the unexpired Lieutenant's position

    Jake Barker – Lieutenant, Unexpired One Year Term expiring 6-30-2010

    Explorer Inferno 2009

    Last year's Explorer Inferno was a huge success, and we are planning to have an even greater year. The Explorer Inferno event is an opportunity for Fire and Emergency Medicine Explorers to participate in a hands-on fire school, where they may accrue training hours. The aim of the Explorer Inferno is threefold: To provide excellent hands on training, to do it safely, and to have a blast!

    To print out a flyer to distribute click here.

    The Enrolment packet includes a full schedule and event description.

    Crusade For Children

    The Buechel Fire Protection District will be Collecting for the WHAS 11 Crusade for Children during the June 5th-7th Weekend. We will have volunteers collecting money door to door throughout the Buechel Community. We also operate a roadside collection at the intersection of Bardstown Road and Goldsmith Lane.  Our friend Kevin Adams also operates a roadside collection for BFPD at the corner of Bardstown Road and Watterson trail.

    If you would like to make a donation and we have missed you please call the Buechel Crusade Command Post at 502-491-0085 and we have volunteers ready to come by your house to pick up your donation.

    For more information on how the Crusade for Children helps kids in our area Click Here.  Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/BFPD for collection updates.

    Volunteers are still needed, for information call 502-491-0085.  All volunteers must fill out a Volunteer Waiver and persons under 18 will need the signature of their Parent of Legal Guardian.

    Collection Schedule

    Friday June 5
    0700-0900   Road block
    1600-1900   Dinner
    1600-2130   Road block
    1730-2130   Door to Door
    2130-2230   Food
     

    Saturday June 6
    0800-0900   Breakfasts
    0900-1200   Road block and Door to Door
    1200-1300   Lunches
    1300-1700   Road block and Door to Door
    1700-1800   Dinner break
    1800-2130   Road block and Door to Door
    2130-2230   Pizza night
     

    Sunday June 7
    0800-0830   Breakfasts
    0830-1200   Road block and Door to Door
    1215   Leave for Downtown
    1400   Pot luck dinner


     

    Picnic for Firefighters and Civic Leaders

    Firefighters and their families are invited to attend an appreciation picnic for local firefighters and civic leaders.  The Buechel Masonic Lodge will be organizing this picnic for the second year in a row.  The picnic is at our firehouse, 4101 Bardstown Road, on Saturday May 23rd from 11am-2pm.  Firefighters from neighboring departments are welcome to attend as well feel free to print the event flyer to hang up at your firehouse.  The Buechel Lodge has asked that we provide them with an approximate head count so that they may prepare accordingly so please RSVP by e-mailing Captain Adam Jones.

    Re-Deployment of Radio Channels

    Based on reviews of dispatch systems across the country BFPD along with the rest of Jefferson County Fire will soon change the way we utilize (Re-Deploy) our existing radio channels.  This change will begin initially as a sixty day trial period beginning on May 17, 2009 at 08:00 hours.  Under this new plan all Jefferson County Fire Departments will conduct their primary operations from one common channel.  When we are dispatched on a High Priority run the metrosafe communications dispatch center will notify us to switch our operations to one of three secondary operations channels.  This is a change from the way that we have conducted radio operations for the last thirty years and is in keeping with the key mission of the Best Practices Committee, to standardize communication processes. The details of this trial are outlined in the pdf Re-Deployment of Radio Channels.

    All members will need to have their Motorola Minitor Pagers reprogrammed as a part of this change, Additional details will follow. 

    Social Networking

    In an effort to increase communication with our members and the Buechel community we have created a page on Facebook.  Visitors to our page on Facebook are able to view and post pictures and communicate with other fans of BFPD.  Check out our page on Facebook today and become a fan to receive updates.

    We have also created a Twitter account www.twitter.com/BFPD.  We are utilizing the Twitter service to send "Tweets" about incident information, and department news.  Anyone who has a free Twitter account can subscribe to receive instant updates delivered to either their e-mail inbox or cellular phone via text message.  In addition we have added a department news section to our website (below the navigation buttons of our home page) that will automatically show our updates to anyone who views our website.  This exciting new use of technology allows our fire department public information officers and webmaster to instantly share important information and media releases instantly, sometimes even from the scene of a fire via our mobile phones.

    If you are the member of another Fire Department and would like to speak with us about our experiences with social networking or get help with setting things up e-mail our webmaster, Sergeant Cody Weiss

    Recreational Fires

    We have had many questions lately from residents of our district regarding recreational fires, or "campfires".  This page from Louisville Metro Government should answer most questions.  if you have any further questions please call or E-mail Captain Adam Jones.

    General Operating Guidelines

    The BFPD General Operating Guidelines are now available online.  Click Here to view the table of contents.

    To view older stories that have appeared on this page view our Archive Section.


    Buechel Fire Protection District
    4101 Bardstown Road
    Louisville KY 40218

    Phone 502.491.0085

    For Additional Contact Information Click Here

    Copyright 2009 Buechel Fire Protection District. All Rights Reserved