News

In the News: Council honors poster contest winners

Photo Credit: Franklin County Times

Originally published in the Franklin County Times. 

Mayor David Grissom, the Russellville City Council and Russellville Fire Department representatives recognize children who were winners in the fire safety poster contest at Russellville Elementary School in October for Fire Prevention Month. The contest encourages the children to incorporate National Fire Protection Association slogans – this year’s being “Don’t Wait. Check the date!” – as reminders of the importance of fire safety.

In the News: RFD hosts fire college trailer for training

Originally published in the Franklin County Times. 

Last week the Russellville Fire Department – and any volunteer fire department across the county that chose to do so – participated in an annual training opportunity using the Alabama Fire College’s Mobile Fire Suppression Training trailer.

“It’s the safest form of training we can do while still getting the guys in the heat and fire,” Fire Chief Joe Mansell explained, “(We’re) able to go in and have the heat a normal house fire would generate, but it’s a controlled environment.”

The fire trailer, one of two the Fire College rotates for fire departments’ training purposes, sports facilities that mimic a kitchen, a fireplace, stairs that can simulate entrance into a basement and the ability to move walls to change the layout and force firefighters to continue to adapt to meet the challenge of a structure fire. Operators can ignite a “life-like” fire and manipulate the smoke, the heat intensity and elements like flash.

“Back in the day, we didn’t have stuff like this,” Mansell said. The best training, at that time, was to set an old abandoned house on fire to use as a training fire, but Mansell said that very real experience came with all the danger of an actual structure fire, and firefighters’ lives were put in jeopardy in these “simulations” of old.

Every December, all RFD firefighters and volunteers participate in the training. From start to finish, a simulation lasts no more than five minutes. Two firefighters go in on the nozzle, and two stay at the back door on the safety line.

RFD officers trained as operators for the trailer include Lt. Jonathan Pace, Lt. Jeremy Glenn and Fire College instructor Andy Devaney.

Pace said crucial to the training is having the mindset to treat it just as though it’s a real fire. He said a firefighter can’t let the idea of it being a “simulation” change the way he approaches it – or the consequences could be dire: “If you let it change you here, you’ll let it change you there, and you’ll die.”

In the News: Mayoral proclamation raises awareness of pancreatic cancer

Photo Credit: Franklin County Times

Originally published in the Franklin County Times. 

Tomorrow has been designated as World Pancreatic Cancer Day in the City of Russellville, and a few local women were the driving force behind the proclamation.

According to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, in 2016 there will be approximately 53,070 people in the U.S. diagnosed with pancreatic cancer; of this number, almost 42,000 will die. Seventy-on percent will die within the first year after diagnosis.

In the News: Russellville modifies meeting schedule for new administration

Originally published in the Franklin County Times. 

Last Sunday’s swearing-in resulted in just one new face on the Russellville City Council, and only minor changes in procedure.

As part of an ordinance establishing the rules and procedures of the City Council meetings, the council determined to establish that meetings will be held on the first and third Monday, except when that falls on a holiday, which case meetings are moved to the following Tuesday. On the subject of meeting time, the council will hold a work session at 6 p.m. and the meeting immediately following the work session, no matter how long the work session is – rather than at 7 p.m. regardless, as has been the case in past years.

In the News: City urges citizens to keep debris out of leaf piles

Originally published in the Franklin County Times. 

Autumn officially arrived almost two months ago, but it’s taken some time to for the weather to oblige in Franklin County. The season evokes different memories and comes with different connotations for everyone – whether that’s football Saturdays on the couch with mounds of tailgate food; crisp sunny afternoons in pumpkin patches and starry evenings on hayrides; or the flurry and scurry of celebrating and observing favorite holidays like Halloween, Veterans Day and Thanksgiving. But nearly everyone will agree on one particular nuisance that comes to mind: fallen leaves.

In the News: Taking the Oath

Photo Credit: Franklin County Times

Originally published in the Franklin County Times. 

Early this week, city councils across the county swore an Oath to support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of Alabama, as councilmembers and mayors took their offices to serve their cities.

In Hodges Monday evening, the swearing in represented the beginning of a new era in leadership, as Mayor Terry Petree took his seat following Ed Crouch’s 28-year period as mayor. Following the Oath of Office, the mayor and council participated in an organizational meeting followed by adjournment to a reception. The council then reconvened to hold a regular business meeting, during which some of the newcomers got their first taste of conducting a council meeting. Councilwoman Samantha Gann was unanimously elected mayor pro tempore.

In the News: Council recognizes Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Photo Credit: Franklin County Times

Originally published in the Franklin County Times.

The Russellville City Council and mayor, sporting T-shirts from the Russellville Fire Department’s annual fundraiser to provide mammograms and other services to women in need, signed a resolution in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month at their meeting Monday. RFD reports having sold 250 shirts – meaning $1,500-$2,000 for Russellville Hospital.

In the News: Industry locates in Russellville

MS Industries, a research and mining development company and a direct mining source for its customers, is the newest industry to call Russellville home.

According to MSI’s chief operating officer John Christmas, “MSI has been researching the mineral resources in Northwest Alabama for five years and is currently constructing a silica processing and rail-loading facility at the old Vulcan Materials site on Walnut Gate Road in Russellville.” Although MSI at one time researched the feasibility of mining and processing what is known as Hartselle Oil Sands, the company concluded after extensive research that those activities were not feasible. Christmas said the facility planned for Russellville “has nothing to do with oil sands or petroleum and is entirely non-fuel in nature.”

In the News: Renaissance in Russellville: MS Industries ‘all in’ with $15 million local investment

Originally published in the Franklin Free Press. 

Steven D. Smith says he’s ‘all in’ when it comes to Russellville, and he’s putting his money where his mouth is—to the tune of a $15 million investment in his company’s high-grade silica preparation facility in the former Vulcan Materials location on Walnut Gate Road.

Smith, CEO and founder of MS Industries II, LLC, chose Russellville as the location for MS Industries’ new plant, and he said the decision was easy.

In the News: For courage in action

Originally published in the Franklin County Times. 

“It’s not hard to be chief of the department when you have such great guys.”

Fire Chief Joe Mansell took the opportunity to publicly recognize and thank several Russellville Fire Department firefighters during the Sept. 6 city council meeting for the dedication they have shown in serving and protecting the community.