04/16/2026
We need to address an issue we have been having recently. There has been a rapid increase in the amount of bystanders showing up or even trying to get/respond to our scenes.
If this continues we will have police aid us in response so they can take care of this matter while we try to take care of the original emergency. KRS 525.015.
We understand, in the world we live in people feel the need to be the first person to share the information or get the pictures and videos out to the rest of the internet. This does however delay our response time dramatically. You may pull over for us to pass on these rural roads, and we appreciate that, but when we have to do that 30 times to get to a scene those seconds add up and seconds are precious on these calls.
Alot of people may not realize a large majority of our firefighters will not be showing up in the big trucks. Once the trucks are on their way the rest of us drive our personal vehicles and they are getting overlooked tremendously. Then when we get to the scene, half of our firefighters are having to park so far back that it delays them getting to the homes in gear because so many people are now parking in victims fields and driveways to record their worst day. The tankers also need to be able to get in and out at all times so they can shuttle water and it's very difficult to do so when there's a line of traffic parked behind them.
Yes, it's interesting , but please have some courtesy, these people are already having a bad enough day. You wouldn't post on Facebook if you overheard a doctor tell the person in the room next to yours they had cancer, this is kind of the same situation.
Post that there's prayers needed, that's fine. Post that you seen a fire on a certain road and to avoid the area, that would help us tremendously. Let the family post the update about the fire if they so choose.
We were called to a structure fire recently and one of the families loved ones not only found out because of a video they saw on Facebook, but at that time there was also rumor of a victim inside. That's not the way to find this information out.
We do appreciate you as a community and we know your heart may be in the right place, but our job is to help those in need to the best of our abilities and we can't give our best if we don't get there in time.
