Macee Swafford – The Times-Tribune, Corbin, Ky.

KNOX COUNTY — Knox County EMS Director Steven Jones had his contract with the ambulance service terminated last Friday, just days after he was arrested on a DUI charge following a crash involving an EMS vehicle on Paynes Creek Road.

Steven W. Jones, 60, of Hinkle, was arrested last Wednesday after officers responded to a wreck near the intersection of Paynes Creek Road and KY 1304. The citation stated that dispatch had received a call around 8:08 p.m. from Jones himself, who admitted to having been drinking and needing someone to work the wreck.

When Knox sheriff’s deputies arrived, they reported detecting a strong odor of alcohol and observed damage to the passenger side of the EMS vehicle. According to the citation, Jones told Kentucky State Police Trooper William Knight — who took over the investigation due to county policy against deputies investigating collisions involving county-owned vehicles — that a deer ran in front of him, causing him to swerve and possibly hit a street sign.

Field sobriety tests were administered, and the citation noted multiple signs of impairment including bloodshot eyes, slurred speech, lack of smooth pursuit during eye tests and difficulty maintaining balance during walk-and-turn and one-leg stand exercises. Jones admitted to officers that he had consumed “big Coors beers” earlier in the evening after he’d gotten off work at 1:30 p.m.

Jones was not on duty at the time of the wreck, and later consented to a breath test at the Knox County Detention Center, which showed a blood alcohol content of .140 — nearly twice the legal limit of .08.

He denied a blood test but was lodged in the Knox detention center on a charge of operating a motor vehicle under the influence. He was released on his own recognizance the following day.

Following his arrest, the Knox County EMS board convened and voted Friday to terminate Jones’s contract with the ambulance service, according to board member Steve Warren.

Jones was scheduled to appear in Knox District Court for arraignment on Monday, August 25. With a not guilty plea entered on his behalf, a pretrial conference has been set for September 25.

© 2025 The Times-Tribune (Corbin, Ky.). Visit www.thetimestribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Illinois State Fire Marshal Michele Pankow visited the Shawneetown Fire Department recently to raise awareness about OSFM’s Grant and Loan Programs, the agency said on a Facebook post.

Pankow presented checks to the Shawneetown and Carrier Mills fire departments for $350,000 each and $300,000 to the Equality Fire Department for the Fire Station Construction and Rehabilitation Grant.

Carrier Mills also showed off its new engine they received with funds procured through the Fire Truck and Ambulance Revolving Loan Programs.

Shawneetown also showed off self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) it received with funds from the Small Equipment Grant Program.

More than $1.5 million dollars was on display for just these three departments.

The post IL Fire Marshal Presents Checks to Three FDs appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.

Every day, we are around plasma in TVs, fluorescent lamps, neon signs, and plasma arc cutters. A plasma arc torch is a great torch for working close to a patient because of low heat transfer and its ability to fit in tight spaces.

It is for use on thinner metals that are capable of conducting electricity, including stainless steel, ferrous, and many nonferrous metals.

OPERATION

The cutting action of a plasma arc torch is in the form of an electrical arc in combination with a high-velocity gas. For us, this gas can be room air from an air compressor or a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) bottle. The compressed air flows into the tip that contains a plasma electrode and a plasma cutting tip. This electrically conductive air pushes through the pressurized chamber via a small hole in the cutting tip, taking the energy of the arc with it. The heat of the plasma arc melts the metal to be cut, while the force of the compressed air blows it away, creating a kerf. The temperature of the plasma arc, depending on torch model and settings, is 36,000°F to 50,000°F. Your plasma arc torch manual will have a table, like a “Torch Tip Chart,” indicating amperage, cutting speed, and air pressure recommendations based on the size and type of metal.

Using a 120-VAC 20-amp outlet, about the most you are going to cut is ½-inch-thick metal. To increase that capability, the simplest way is to get a 220-VAC powered machine. With this, you can get through 11⁄2 inches. Check your generator manual as to its ratings. Make sure your electrical extension cords are no more than 100 feet for 12-gauge or 150 feet using 10-gauge to prevent excessive voltage drop while running the cutter (see “Extension Cords: One of the Most Misused Tools on the Fireground,” Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment, April 2023).

Keep in mind the total power requirements. If you use an air compressor, it will take another 120-VAC/20-amp outlet. To power both a 120-VAC plasma arc cutter and air compressor sized to support maximum cutting capability, you will need a minimum 5-kW generator to cut through ½ inch. To reduce the power demand, use SCBA bottles as the air source. Compromises on source voltage affect the torch performance including shortening the duty cycle (see “Know Your Generator,” Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment, March 2022).

Establish a clean connection for the torch grounding clamp as close to the cut area as possible. You may need to grind off any coatings, paint, or rust. The plasma arc process produces a high voltage to cut. This electric energy can cause severe or fatal shock to the operator or others in the workplace. It is not recommended to use on complex machines like cars. In addition to high voltage, the plasma arc process produces very bright ultraviolet and infrared light. These arc rays will damage your eyes and burn your skin if you are not properly protected. To protect your eyes/ skin, always wear a torch jacket, welding helmet/shield, hearing protection, and leather gloves. Shade 7-8 lenses are suitable for most portable machines.

Because the material must be electrically conductive to react to the ionized gas coming from the torch, nonconductive materials like wood, glass, and plastics or poorly conductive metals like manganese, lead, tungsten, and tin cannot be cut with the plasma arc. Plasma can cut painted, dirty, or even rusted metal. However, as stated, the ground clamp connection needs to be clean for maximum performance. The arc is created when the arc cutter tip and the work piece are touched together and then separated by a small distance, typically no more than 1⁄16 inch. It can cut through small air gaps, ¼ inch or so, and multiple layers. This is comparable to coupling distance with flame cutting torches. It may be useful to make “test cuts” on the work piece to make sure your ground connection and cutt

Sam Woloson – Centre Daily Times (State College, Pa.)

What comes to mind when you think about your local fire department? Maybe not online vehicle raffles, pay-to-play Bingo or summer carnivals — but that’s the reality for volunteer fire companies in and around Centre County that rely on fundraisers to keep their doors open.

Most volunteer fire companies receive funding from their municipalities and public donations, and some apply for grants or receive money from local service taxes. Fundraising has always been involved, but rising costs for equipment and operations have made it more of a necessity than before, according to Justin Butterworth, chief of the Hope Fire Company in Philipsburg.

“Our allotments that we get from the municipalities and our donations haven’t increased by 100% in the last 15 years, but the cost of fire apparatus has, so we’re trying to play catch-up, which is in the end just putting more pressure on bigger and more fundraisers to make up that difference,” said Butterworth, who has worked for the fire department for 23 years.

Butterworth estimated a fire truck that cost $350,000 15 years ago would cost close to $1 million today. Add in the cost of additional equipment, safety gear and maintenance, and you have volunteer companies shackled by steep operating budgets.

At least part of this inflation stems from the consolidation of the fire truck industry within the last 15 years, which now sees three large companies manufacture the majority of equipment for the United States. What that means is emergency service providers now have to think like nonprofit businesses.

“It’s an expensive business that isn’t properly funded, hence why you see us holding these fundraisers,” Butterworth said. “There’s very few businesses that are around that have to go and sell hoagies or hold events or beg for money to keep their business going … but for a fire company, closing is not really an option.”

To combat these costs, fire companies have ramped up fundraising efforts. During the COVID pandemic, where in-person fundraisers were limited, Facebook became the hub for online raffles and giveaways. Just about everything was up for grabs, from a Yeti cooler in Philipsburg to a 6,500 watt generator in Snow Shoe to a one-ton bag of wood pellets in Centre Hall. Fundraising & the budget

The online giveaways have remained popular and profitable. Most companies purchase the prizes with their own money and can make up that deficit by selling enough raffle tickets. Boalsburg Fire Company buys its prizes from local businesses as a way to give back to the community.

“It’s something we can do all year-round,” said Boalsburg Assistant Chief Nate Frey. “Just to generate a little more income coming in here, because the price of everything’s skyrocketing, and we’re trying to support our community with paying for this stuff.”

Fundraising only makes up about 40% of Boalsburg Fire Company’s operating budget, according to Assistant Chief Greg Alters.

“We are doing well funds-wise compared to some of the other companies in the county that are scraping to keep things going,” Alters said. “We’re very lucky to have the station we have, newer apparatus and stuff that we have — there’s companies out there that can’t do that.”

In addition to online giveaways, Mountain Top Fire Company in Sandy Ridge hosts a yearly carnival in August, complete with food, games and an auction. Fire Chief Tim Sharpless said fundraising makes up about 90% of Mountain Top’s operating budget, which he said is sustainable at this point, but service taxes may need to be implemented in the future.

“For now it is [sustainable],” Sharpless added. “I mean, the trucks are getting more money, and so at some point, somethin