Newspaper Page Text
Page A8
Lake Oconee News
Friday, December 25, 2015
MORGAN COUNTY
County, Georgia Pacific firefighters share training
Firefighters with Morgan
County Fire Rescue and
the Georgia Pacific Fire
Brigade of the Structural
Panels Division Plant near
Madison, cooperated in
joint training during the
first week of December.
Responders began Tuesday
night, Dec. 1, practicing fire
suppression in a live-fire
exercise that emphasized
command procedures used
during a fire response. The
Morgan County Fire Rescue
training ground on Bass
Road hosted the exercise.
Georgia Pacific’s fire
brigade commanders and
four firefighters partici
pated along with about 30
county fire department
personnel from Stations 1,
2, 3, 4, 9, 12 and 16. Most
firefighters participating
for the county were unpaid
volunteers, fire department
spokesperson Hannah Pope
said.
Four or five were paid
staff, she said. Partici
pants performed in teams,
learning command proce
dures and victim rescue in
addition to strategies and
tactics applied in fire sup
pression.
Combined training
continued the following
Thursday and Friday in
sessions conducted at the
Georgia Pacific Plant.
Georgia Pacific factory
personnel took part in a
plant evacuation drill, fol
lowing procedures to be
used in the event of a fire
or explosion. County fire
folk participating practiced
inter-operational collabo
ration, polishing prescribed
ways county and company
firefighters would cooper
ate in an actual emergency.
Additional joint trainings
are planned for when new
additions to the plant reach
completion. Those exercis
es are expected to begin in
spring 2016.
“It is collaborative efforts
like this that help us, on
the public safety side of an
emergency, to provide the
best response and aid in
times of need to those in
the community, especially
our large commercial op
erations and plants,” said
county Fire Chief Jeff Stone.
For more information
contact Chief Stone at
706-343-6503 or jstone@
morganga.org.
— Contributed
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A backup crewman
(foreground) holds
a fire hose at the
door of a simulator
arranged to depict
a burning structure.
Up inside the smoke-
filled simulator,
a two-man crew
equipped with air
packs advances
through dense
smoke to extinguish
the internal blaze
and pull out a
mock-up victim.
Breathing tanks
give 20 minutes
to accomplish the
mission, one exercise
during recent joint
training of county
and Georgia Pacific
firefighters.
Contributed
MORGAN COUNTY
Longtime Morgan County volunteer firefighter retires
Contributed
Flanked by Rutledge Station 9 Chief Jerry Couch (left) and Rutledge Station 12 Chief
Jeff Dickson, Richard "Bubba" Howard holds a plaque marking his more than 30
years service as a volunteer firefighter in the Rutledge community. Howard retired
from fire service in December.
After 30+ years of selfless
service to the citizens of
Morgan County, longtime
Rutledge volunteer firefight
er Richard “Bubba” Hubbard
Jr. hung up his helmet for
the last time this month.
Stations 9 & 12 (Rutledge)
officially honored Hubbard
at the department’s annual
Christmas dinner and pre
sented him with a plaque
commemorating his many
years of loyal service to
Morgan County Fire Rescue
and the citizens of the com
munity. Hubbard’s wife,
Joan, along with many other
family members, were in
attendance to celebrate his
retirement.
A lifelong resident of
Rutledge, Firefighter
Hubbard began his journey
in the fire service in 1980
as a volunteer with the now
defunct Oasis Volunteer
Fire Department, which
was located just outside of
Rutledge in southern Walton
County. He went on to join
the Rutledge Volunteer Fire
Department in 1985 and has
remained an active and ded
icated member since. He was
one of the longest standing
members of the Rutledge
Fire Station, second only
to Jerry Couch, who has
served as the station chief in
Rutledge since the 1980s.
“Bubba” is well known in
the community as a result
of running a successful
flooring business for many
years, as well as dedicating
a great deal of time as an
active member of Union
Springs Baptist Church in
Rutledge. After many years
of answering the call for
help, Hubbard says he plans
to stay busy, but admits he
will miss the time spent with
guys at the fire station.
“Bubba has been a part of
us for a long time. He’s been
an asset to the department
for many years, and his ded
ication and commitment to
this community should be
admired. Although we will
miss him and hate to see
him go, we wish him well,”
said Chief Couch.
Hubbard promised not
to be a stranger and said he
plans to visit the station on
training nights from time to
time.
- Morgan County Fire
Rescue Staff
This Holiday Season, '
Give the Gift of HEARING
Join us for our inaugural Holiday
Hearing Device Exchange.
Bring in your old hearing
devices to Advanced
Audiology & Hearing Care
between November 1 and
December 31.
For each hearing device you
donate, receive a $250.00.,
credit towards a
new hearing device.*
Each exchanged
hearing device will
be donated to a charitable
organization to help a
child hear all around,
the world.
* Limit 2 devices per patient. All makes and models are accepted for donationl
PLEASE CALL to schedule an appointment at the office of your choice and
reference the code: HOLIDAY
Advanced Audiology
Cowles Clinic- Greensboro
Madison
& Hearing Care
1000 Cowles Clinic Way
255 N. Main Street
D-200
Madison, Ga 30650
Dr. Kimberly Hoffman,
Greensboro, GA 30642
706-438-1099
Audiologisf
706-453-2119
GREENE COUNTY
Christmas wreaths stolen off church doors
Morgan County Sheriff’s Deputy James
Cason responded to the Madison House of
Refuge Church on Saffold Road, Buckhead
near 11 p.m., Friday Dec. 11, concerning a
misdemeanor theft by taking.
Seems an aspiring Grinch swiped
Christmas wreaths off the church’s front
doors.
Pastor Garfield Chambers told Cason
the church secretary notified him of the
theft earlier in the day.
Chambers said he suspected the mean
one was a former parishioner once involved
with making the same wreaths. A wreath
maker gone over to the dark side? Pshaw.
The pastor valued the wreaths at $200
and remembered last seeing them in place
Wednesday, Dec. 9, at 9:30 p.m.
Cason advised Chambers on how to
acquire a temporary protective order for
the purpose of keeping wreath snatchers
at a safe distance (preferably well north of
Whoville).
- JeffWarren
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INSURANCE & BONDS
120 E Washington St • Madison, Ga 30650 • 706-342-2411
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