1B

July 31, 2018

Honoring
our First Responders
• Perryville Police Department

• Perry County Ambulance Service

• Perry County Sheriff’s Office

• Perryville & Perry Couty Firefighters

• Air Evac Lifeteam 80

IN ACKNOWLEDGMENT
AND APPRECIATION
OF THOSE DEDICATED
TO SERVING OUR COMMUNITY.

10 W. Ste. Marie Street, Perryville, MO 63775 • 573.547.4567

2B • Tuesday, July 31, 2018 FIRST RESPONDERS The Republic-Monitor • www.perryvillenews.com

Perryville Police Department

Cpl. Dustin Miller (below),
who has also served the city
of Perryville as a firefighter
in the past, has been
with the Perryville Police
CHIEF ASSISTANT CHIEF DETECTIVE K-9 POLICE OFFICER K-9 OFFICER
Direk Hunt William Jones Amber Saupe Jon-Erik Bradford Edo Department for eight years,
pursuing a career he first
fell in love with as a small
child. Most boys see the
patrol cars, others the big
firetrucks and they dream of
doing that one day,” Miller
said. “I was actually both
and it’s something I really
enjoy doing.”
CORPORAL CORPORAL CORPORAL CORPORAL
Dustin Miller Nathan James Pete Unverferth Jeri Cain

Miller living out his childhood dream

By Justin Hotop That doesn’t mean that Miller hasn’t
jhotop@perryvillenews.com had to have a talk with his family, given the
dangers of the job. In 2018, there have been
Some kids want to be professional
82 police fatalities in the United States.
baseball or football players, others a doctor
or a lawyer. “When I started doing this I already
For Dustin Miller, the dream was had two kids at home,” Miller said. “Now
always to be a police officer. that they are older, they are starting to
“Most boys see the patrol cars, others become aware of world issues. They started
the big firetrucks and they dream of doing expressing concern the past few years and I
that one day,” said Miller, now a corporal tell them that this is what I chose to do. Of
with the traffic division of the Perryville course, I don’t go out expecting to get hurt,
Police Department. “I was actually both but there is always that possibility.”
and it’s something I really enjoy doing.” Miller always goes back to his roots as
After working in both departments, part of the traffic division, where he has
Miller gave up his position at the
seen many vehicle accidents, some more
Perryville Fire Department as he began
advancing higher in the ranks at the police serious than others.
department. He began studying Accident “We are averaging about one fatal
Reconstruction, a specialized training accident per year that this department has
program that goes more in-depth into had to deal with and that’s too many,”
determining what happened at the scene of Miller said.
an accident. He pointed to a campaign that is
But that type of specialized training sponsored by the Missouri Department of
is just a small part of how much training, Transportation geared toward vehicle safety
Miller and his fellow officers go through in and seatbelt enforcement, saying he hopes
a given year.
that similar campaigns will lessen the
“We are constantly training,” Miller
said. “Federal and state guidelines say we occurrence of fatal accidents.
have to have a certain number of hours of “The goal is not to have any fatal
training and education. We are constantly in accidents,” Miller said.
and out of training. There are some that are However dangerous his job may be at
just one day and some that are two or three times, Miller finds his job as rewarding
weeks long. For some less serious issues, now as his first day on the job.
there are courses we can take online.” “If I can stop a speeding driver or even
Before Miller ever began thinking a drunk driver then my job is worth it,”
of becoming a police officer, he had to Miller said. “Just the thought of stopping
understand the risk. Miller, who has been Republic-Monitor/JUSTIN HOTOP
a guy and giving him a DWI and quite
with the Perryville Police Department since
getting hurt or killed. It seems to be the was to protect the community,” Miller said. possibly saving a family who he might
2010, said he had to think about it long and
hard before deciding it was something he norm now, but about 10 or 15 years ago, it “We all took an oath and are willing to do have killed north of town, that makes it
wanted to do with his life. wasn’t so bad.” what it takes.” rewarding to me.”
“Being part of the police department is Nowadays, knowing what could happen
a line of work, where when you walk out on any given day doesn’t give Miller much
the door in the morning, you’re not sure pause. He’s learned to deal with it.
whether you will come home, whether it “The thought is always there that the FROM TH
E CHIEF:
be the ultimate sacrifice, or laid up in a next traffic stop could be my last, but it’s I would firs
t like to tha
shown ou nk the citiz
hospital somewhere,” Miller said. “Every something you have to cope with and r departm
ent we are ens of Perr
day on the news you hear about officers remember that why you started to do this
officers m
ore techno fortunate to yville for all the sup
to our patr logy in the serve here port they h
ol vehicles field .   We ave
we are pu and are ho .  We have added M are attempting to bri
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as well as is year.  Th d addition ile Data Te
run comp e MDT allo al MDTs to rminals)
Atlas EPS has full time driving opportunities available for a vital tool uter check ws the off the new ve
in L s on those icers to do hicles that
SAFETY CONSCIOUS DRIVERS! Tasers to th aw Enforcement ac they have
contact wit
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in the field
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departmen ent so tha ountry.  W becoming
t had just t each roa e as a dep
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address th
e current 9
a few and
seve assigned a ment have added
is no long 11 system ral officers in the fie Taser. Befo
re we as a
er support for the City ld did not
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ill not nece y our vendors.  If yo currently outdated a ne.  I have to
• Valid CDL-A license current 91 ssa u call into nd the equ
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Mayor in
week and every weekend
• Our tractors are less than 5 years old               D
IREK
                            C L. HUNT
Perryville fo hie
Police De f Police
partment
To apply to join our team, please visit www.AtlasEPS.com/About-Us/Careers/

Thanks from... We are proud to be My gratitude and admiration to all

those brave men and women who put
part of a community themselves in harm’s way to selflessly
come to the aid of others...
with such devoted
First Responders! Thank You!
Independence
Health System Inc.
Independence Care
Independence CareCenter
CenterofofPerry
PerryCounty
County 800 South Kingshighway, Perryville, MO @ IndependenceHe

573-547-7833 800 S. Kingshighway, Perryville, MO • 573-547-6546

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The Republic-Monitor • www.perryvillenews.com FIRST RESPONDERS Tuesday, July 31, 2018 • 3B

Perryville Police Department

POLICE OFFICER POLICE OFFICER POLICE OFFICER POLICE OFFICER POLICE OFFICER POLICE OFFICER SERGEANT SERGEANT
Aaron Barton Ben Neff Christopher Bradford Jordan Lamb Mike Reitzel Robby Brewer Erik Degenhardt Garrett Schott

Four legs and a badge

By Robert Cox
rcox@perryvillenews.com
Not all law enforcement
officers carry weapons or drive
cars. In some cases, they don’t
even walk on two legs.
In Perry County, there are two
such officers.
At the Perry County Sheriff’s
Office, K-9 officer Ugas, a six-
year veteran of the department,
helps Deputy Ben Davis patrol
the main roads and the back roads
of the county, assisting in drug
searches, chasing down fugitives
and backing up his partner.
Ugas, a brawny, sable- colored
German shepherd, is what is
the vehicle, constantly watching
the surroundings.
“He’ll let me know if
somebody gets too close.”
At the Perryville Police
Department, Edo, a rookie K-9
with only a few months on the
job under his collar, does much
the same for Officer Jon-Erik
Bradford.
Edo, a Belgian Malinois,
is certified in drug detection,
tracking, obedience, criminal
apprehension and handler
protection.
“There’s still a lot of puppy in
him,” Bradford said.
Despite his short tenure, Edo
is already proving to be an asset
is almost ready to hang it up. His
birthday is in August, which also
marks his retirement date.
“Technically, Ugas won’t
retire until after the new dog is
ready for the road,” Davis said.
“We’re going to keep him around.
He won’t work the road, but if we
have a K-9 callout, we’ll use him.
He’ll be semi-retired for a while.”
According to Davis, Ugas’
retirement is well-deserved. Republic-Monitor/ROBERT COX
“If you look at it, they have to
jump in and out of the vehicle,” frequent bathroom breaks.
Davis said. “Six years on the road “Right now, we’re just building
is a lot of wear and tear. It’s hard that bond,” Bradford said. “I’m
on their hips and their senses start learning his body language, what
to go. he’s alerting to, what he needs and
“You don’t want to see a what he wants to do.” Submitted photo

known as a multi-purpose K-9
officer, trained in tracking,
handler protection and narcotics
detection. According to Davis,
he’s also a pretty good watchdog.
“I can open his door [on the
vehicle] with the push of a button,
so if I ever get in distress and need
additional assistance, the door
will open up and he’ll come find
me,” Davis said. “I like it a lot.
If we’re making a traffic stop or
anywhere, he really watches my
surroundings for me. It gives me
a little peace of mind when I’m
issuing a citation or talking with a
subject, knowing that he’s inside
to the department and his partner.
Edo and Bradford completed an
eight-week certification training
program on April 27 and hit the
streets on April 28. Not long into
his first month on the job, Edo
made his first official alert while
searching a vehicle, locating two
marijuana grinders and a small
bag of marijuana.
“I’m extremely proud of Edo
for his first alert,” Bradford said.
“He has done everything he
was trained to do and is eager to
work.”
While Edo is just starting his
career in law enforcement, Ugas
dog go until he just cannot go
anymore.”
In the meantime, Ugas and
Davis get to work together,
something Davis says his partner
absolutely loves.
“For him, it’s not really work,”
Davis said. “It’s play. Everything
is a game. We try to make it fun
for them and that makes them
want to do it that much more.”
Bradford said it’s much the
same for Edo, although there
are challenges to working with a
furry partner who can’t really talk.
Aside from the frequent chewing,
licking, and shedding, there’s the
What he wants to do, most of
the time anyway, is work.
“Edo is a working dog,” Perry County Sheriff’s Deputy
Bradford said. “He’s not a family
pet, he’s not one that you can Ben Davis (above left) is
run up on and start petting. I
understand people want to pet partnered with Ugas, an
him and treat him like a normal
8-year-old German Shepherd,
dog, but he’s not. He’s a trained
[police] dog.” while Perryville Police Officer
Both Edo and Ugas are assets
to their respective departments. Jon-Erik Bradford rides with
“Besides being terrific
companions, they help keep our Edo, the department’s newest
officers safe while apprehending
K9 officer.
criminals,” said Perry County
Sheriff Gary Schaaf.

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4B • Tuesday, July 31, 2018 FIRST RESPONDERS The Republic-Monitor • www.perryvillenews.com

Perry County Sheriff’s Office

SHERIFF SERGEANT CORPORAL DEPUTY SHERIFF DEPUTY SHERIFF DEPUTY SHERIFF DEPUTY SHERIFF DEPUTY SHERIFF
Gary Schaaf Jim Rice Carl Manche Blane Kihm Brian Pelton Bethany Zarcone Pablo Sanchez Auston Turner

DEPUTY SHERIFF DEPUTY SHERIFF DEPUTY SHERIFF DEPUTY SHERIFF - K-9 K-9 DEPUTY DETECTIVE JAIL ADMINISTRATOR - CAPTAIN DEPUTY JAILER - SERGEANT
Lonnie Johnson Whitney Renaud Kara Evans Ben David Ugas Amber Crites Wayne Craft Kristin Nenninger

A few thoughts on emergency preparedness

By Gary J. Schaaf
Perry County Sheriff
Living in this area of the country
exposes us to a number of potential
disasters.
Floods, flash floods, wind storms
and tornadoes, snow and ice storms,
and yes even earthquakes to name
a few.
The responsible thing to do
would be to at least make an effort to
develop a plan for surviving any one
of these, and possibly helping your
neighbors and your community.
At the very basic level, your
plans should involve water, food and
shelter.
Store some canned food to get
you and your family through several
days, along with a can opener.
Stock up on canned fruits and
vegetables, and maybe some canned
meat. There are other types of
packaged food that can last a long
time, like oatmeal and cereals. Do a
little research and you will find all
kinds of things.
If you have perishable foods
on hand use them first or they can
just go bad and be wasted. This is
especially true of refrigerated or
frozen food if you have lost power.
A good idea for preparing food
would be to gather some basic
camping equipment too. Pots, pans,
utensils, dishes, etc., would make
preparing a meal a lot easier.
Be sure that you have the proper
fuel if you plan on using a camp
stove. You may end up cooking over
an open fire. Or you can look into
solar cookers, which do not require
any fuel, just a sunny day.
Clean water is a necessity for
survival. You can actually go longer
without food than without water.
Make sure you have access to
a source of clean, drinkable water.
If not, devise a plan to purify water
from a nearby source (stream, pond
or lake).
There are ways to purify water
by adding a few drops of chlorine
bleach, or boiling the water for
several minutes. There may be other
methods, but these are the most
commonly utilized. All water should
be filtered before attempting to purify
it for consumption.
An adequate shelter may well
depend upon the weather and time
of year. That tent you procured with
your camping gear may not work so
well in an ice or snowstorm.
Hopefully, the disaster wouldn’t
keep you from using your home as
the shelter, but it would be good to
plan for alternative shelter in case
that happens.
If you have planned for the
above-mentioned possibilities, then
you at least have a basic survival
plan. But what if you wanted to have
more than just a basic plan?
Most of us have grown
accustomed to air conditioning,
computers, cell phones, and all the
“necessities” of modern living.
What do you do when a disaster
has knocked out the electric grid
and none of these things work
any longer? A number of us have
experienced this when an ice storm
or windstorm has knocked out power
for several days.
Generators were sold out quickly
on a local basis. But even for those
who were lucky enough to have
or get a generator, how many of us
actually had enough gasoline to run
them for several days?
Was the generator big enough
to run the whole house, and was
there a plug-in in place to connect
the generator to your breaker box?
These were the questions we were
all faced with when the disaster
occurred.
I had several people come to
me looking for something just big
enough to run a refrigerator or deep
freeze.
One just needed something big
enough to run a medical device he
needed to operate a few times per
day.
Fortunately, I had a few inverters
that ran off a 12-volt car or truck
battery that was big enough to run
these items, and so I lent them mine.
Communication can also be a
challenge.
A lot of people have discontinued
their wired phone connection (land
line) in favor of cellular phones.
It has been told to me that cell
phone towers are equipped with
battery backup systems in case the
grid power to them is down. And that
is a good thing if the power to them
can be restored before the battery
system is run down. But your cell
phone still needs to be charged on a
File photo
regular basis.
Make sure you have a way to
keep your cellular device charged
on a daily basis in order to contact
emergency services, as well as
family, friends and neighbors.
Another mode of communication
available to everyone is a two-way
radio.
These can be as simple as a CB
radio for short distance, or getting
into HAM radio for longer distances.
And there are advantages to using
radios as opposed to relying on cell
phones.
Hand-held and mobile Ham
radios can be purchased for as little
as the cost of a CB radio, sometimes
less than $100.
Ham radios have gone digital and
have a lot of capabilities that didn’t
exist on the older units. Having a
transceiver (Ham or CB radio) can
be advantageous in that they do not
require the infrastructure necessary
for cell phones. They are their own
system and portable.
If you are in trouble, you can
broadcast that and attempt to contact
anyone on the channel, whereas if
you were using a cell phone you
would have to know the phone
number of an individual before you
could make contact.
If you dial 911 on your cell
phone, and the phone system is up
and working, you should be able to
get a dispatcher. But if there is an
emergency a lot of people are going
to be calling in at once and public
safety may or may not be able to
respond quickly.
Why not get involved in a radio
network in your neighborhood?
There are a number of licensed
Ham radio operators in Perry County
and surrounding counties. There
is even a Ham Radio club in Cape
Girardeau that meets monthly. Or
you can start your own within your
community if you so desire.
Getting a Ham radio license is
easy, and only requires that you pass
a written test for the Technician level
license.
These are given monthly at the
Cape Girardeau amateur radio club
(www.SEMOARC.com).
With the privileges granted
Technician level Hams, you can
communicate on High Frequency
bands that allow you to talk over
great distances, and VHF and UHF
frequencies that do an excellent
job of local communications, and
regional distances using repeaters.
You can even access the internet
through your Ham radio.
Using cell phones, tablets or your
computer, you can look into the
capabilities of these different modes
of communication as well as where
and how to get your hands on one
and get started.
A few of us here at the Sheriff’s
Office have already obtained
our Technician license and are
equipping ourselves with alternative
communication capabilities (Ham
radios) for off-duty communications
and to be ready if we ever need them.
I encourage our community to
look into this option as well.
Don’t wait until a disaster strikes
before you begin planning and
preparing.
You can add a little at a time,
starting now, and be that much closer
to preparedness if something big
does happen.

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 The Republic-Monitor • www.perryvillenews.com FIRST RESPONDERS Tuesday, July 31, 2018 • 5B

Perry County Sheriff’s Office

DEPUTY JAILER JAILER JAILER DISPATCHER DISPATCHER DISPATCHER DISPATCHER SECRETARY

Sarah Olson Holt Wil Adam Pikey Dawn Eskew Alicia Berbkigler Josh Schere Elizabeth Meeks Kathy Johnson

Mutual aid vital

component for
first responders
By Alex Heeb
aheeb@perryvillnews.com
Under normal
circumstances, Perryville’s
emergency services operate
with sufficient resources to
cover all calls.
But when major events
occur that can challenge the
resources of even the largest
departments, a system of
compacts between various
departments acts to quickly
bring manpower and other
resources to the scene.
Known as ‘mutual aid,’
this system – which consists
of both formal agreements
and informal understandings
– is relied upon by both
police and fire services.
“Mutual aid — and both
police and fire have mutual
aid, it’s not unique to just one
of them — simply means if I
need Chester’s help, if I need
East Perry County Rural Fire
Department’s help, if I need
Biehle’s help they’re going
manhunts, to work accidents
and to back up departments
overwhelmed by disaster.
In 1993 during the
record flooding along the
Mississippi River, the
Perryville Police Department
provided officers to Ste.
Genevieve, which was
stretched thin as the town
battled to keep its makeshift
levees intact.
Firefighters often call in
mutual aid on a large blaze or
accident, or when they need
specialized rescue equipment.
The system operates
statewide, Jones said, so it is
hypothetical that Perryville
could be asked to assist a
department on the other side
of Missouri during a major
disaster. Perryville also works File photo
with Illinois, and in particular
Chester, on mutual aid
situations. Perry County Sheriff’s Office dispatch supervisor Shay Hicks says her job requires the ability to
“It always was touted keep track of many things at once. “We do an extreme form of multitasking,” Hicks said.
as being very complicated
to give aid across state
lines,” Jones said. “But us

Anatomy of a 911 call

to provide me help as long as and Chester have worked
when they need my help, I’ll together for years, and quite
provide them help,” said Bill honestly, we don’t find it
Jones, who serves as both complicated at all. We do
an assistant chief with the training together at times. We
Perryville Police Department, certainly work a lot of calls
and an assistant chief with the in the northeastern part of the
Perryville Fire Department. By Robert Cox August, Hicks said. “If it’s for law public safety. The final
county, which is what really
According to Jones, law
rcox@perryvillenews.com “All 911 calls will be enforcement, we dispatch recommendation of the 9/11
borders Missouri and Illinois.
routed to the sheriff’s office, those calls to the deputies’ Commission, the network
enforcement was an early And we’ve never really had a Most people know the first again because of priority,” mobile data terminals in their will connect police officers,
adopter of the system. problem with it.” thing to do in an emergency. Hicks said. “If you need an cars and then they can see firefighters and EMS
“You’ve got three law While many departments It’s been drilled into their ambulance, it’ll go to us first what we typed in,” Hicks said. providers, making it easier
enforcement agencies have written mutual aid heads over and over by TV because if you dial 911 right All this takes place in a and more efficient to track and
essentially in the county,” agreements, in large shows, movies, first-aid matter of seconds, meaning
now from Wal-Mart it’ll go to dispatch first responders in an
he said. “The sheriff’s part because FEMA training, even at school. Perryville PD and if you say, dispatchers have to be masters
department, the police emergency.
uses agreements for “Call 911!” ‘I’ve got a man down,’ they of multi-tasking. A good
department and the Highway In between managing all
reimbursement during But what actually happens have to transfer you to us.” memory is also key.
Patrol. the moving parts of a call,
disaster situations, it is when someone makes that Once a caller is connected “Absolutely,” Hicks said.
“Those departments have Hicks said her dispatchers
ultimately the camaraderie call? Who answers? Where with the proper agency, the “We do an extreme version of
always worked together. also have the ability to issue
of the forces that brings does it go? What happens disposition of the call pretty multitasking. One of the major
Law enforcement has long Nixle alerts, a free mobile and
different departments next? much follows the same path. obstacles when training a new
had its own mutual aid email text-based system that
together. According to Perry County “The call comes in and dispatcher is to teach them city
channel on the statewide allows the unit to alert citizens
“I’ve never seen a Sheriff’s Office dispatch we look to see if there’s a and county jurisdictions, what
radios. So that’s existed for of emergency situations, road
department say no,” Jones supervisor Shay Hicks, that location,” Hicks said. “We roads lead into what counties,
years and years and years. closures, storm warnings
said. “Mutual aid has always can depend on where you’re answer and ask you what what area is Perryville vs.
And that’s how important and many other kinds of
been an important thing. calling from, at least for the and where your emergency Biehle vs. East End. That’s
law enforcement feels information.
There’s a limited number of next few weeks. is and we quickly open up one of the major obstacles. A
mutual aid is.” In the past, Nixle alerts
people on duty at any given “We are in the middle of what we call a CAD — lot of information has to be
For police, the uses of have been used to help Perry
time. If a trooper is out at the a transition right now,” said computer-aided dispatch — retained to be able to do your
mutual aid can be varied. County residents navigate
county line and he is calling Hicks. “Previously what which is basically a computer job quickly and efficiently.”
It can be used to through flooded or closed
for help and he needs help, happened when you dial 911 program to fill out. It says Hicks said it helps that the roads, alert them to severe
coordinate forces if someone he is going to get help from is that, if you were in the city what the address is, what sheriff’s department vehicles weather, or more recently, the
tries to outrun officers the city, and help from the limits, your call would go to the phone number is, who have GPS locators so dispatch presence of a possibly armed
in a vehicle, to organize county.” Perryville Police. If you were the caller is, what category can track their location, a
fugitive hiding in their area.
in the county, it would go to the complaint would be, like major help when they have
“If people have
the sheriff’s office. That’s whether it’s medical, fire, to help determine the fastest
information like this going
For the time you took your oath. For the time from landlines. If you dialed peace disturbance — we have route to a call. It’s not perfect,
straight to their phones, it
For the time you took your oath. For the time you responded to my need. from a cell phone, it would several different categories to but it helps.
you responded to my need. For your Service. can help the community be
For your Service. For my security. For your bravery. For my peace. all be routed to the county choose from.” “The only units we see are
deputies,” Hicks said, “and it so much safer,” Hicks said.
For my security.
For my protection. For yourFor your bravery.
courage. your sacrifice. because the Perry County
For my peace.
For my safety.For Once the basics have
“Anyone who can get a text
For your courage.
family.For Formy times you risked it all. dispatchers are the ones who
thesafety. been entered, the operator updates every 15 seconds, so
For the times you've left your
I don’t see exactly where they message can get Nixle alerts.”
are contracted with the EMS then writes a short narrative
Foryouyour
took sacrifice. For
the the times you’ve to send the ambulance out for are in real time — I would be County residents who wish
For the time your oath. For time you responded to my need.
describing the situation and
For your Service. For my security. For your bravery. For my peace.
left your family. For the times you risked it all. calls.” determines the level of help slightly behind where they to receive Nixle alerts can sign
For my protection. For your courage. For my safety.For your sacrifice.
A new 911 system is in the or assistance required and are. And then I don’t see my up online at www.nixle. com
or directly from a cell phone
For the times you've left your family. For the times you risked it all.
works and is expected to be dispatches the proper units to ambulance units or my fire
up and running by the end of the scene. units on anything yet.” by texting the number 888777
Hicks said that could with a message containing
change in the future. the zip code from which you

Thank you “There’s a nationwide

program called FirstNet,”
Hicks said. “It’s somewhat
for your dedication as you protect futuristic for Perry County,
but when that comes down,
the citizens of Perry County! it will all be integrated in and
the technology will be there
to where we can view all the
THANK YOUYOU
THANK FIRST
FIRSTRESPONDERS! STAY
RESPONDERS! STAY SAFESAFE units and know exactly where
everyone is at.”
FirstNet, or the First
Responder Network
Authority, is an independent
authority within the U.S.
Department of Commerce
Visit us at www.pvldoor.com and was created by Congress
in 2012 for the purpose of
Visit us at www.pvldoor.com establishing a nationwide
BRAD KRAUSS • BRIAN KRAUSS broadband network for
desire alerts. For the Perryville
area, send a message that says
63775.
“If anyone needs help, if
they need a walk-through,
we can do that,” Hicks said.
“All they have to do is call
the sheriff’s office. It literally
takes 15 seconds to get signed
up.”
To get that assistance or
for answers to questions about
the service, contact the Perry
County Sheriff’s Department
during regular business hours
at (573) 547-4576.
As always, in the event
of an emergency, call 911.
They’re ready to help.
6B • Tuesday, July 31, 2018 FIRST RESPONDERS The Republic-Monitor • www.perryvillenews.com

Perryville & Perry County Firefighters

RURAL CHIEF ASST. CHIEF ASST. CHIEF ASST. CHIEF CAPTAIN CAPTAIN CAPTAIN LIEUTENANT
Charles LaRose Jeff Bohnert William Jones Larry Winkler Jeremy Mantz Erik Degenhardt Garrett Schott Paul Kohm

LIEUTENANT LIEUTENANT ENGINEER ENGINEER ENGINEER ENGINEER ENGINEER FIREFIGHTER

Pat Heaps Damon Ochs Dustin Winkler Mike Chitwood Ben Davis Mike Blevins Brandon Holdman Nathan Miller

Fighting fires not for the faint-of-heart

By Phoebe Pohlman
ppohlman@murraystate.edu

Firefighters have a long-standing

tradition of being a dream career for
elementary school kids. The excitement,
danger, and heroism involved are a major
attraction for little ones with big dreams.
Assistant Chief of Perryville Fire
Department Bill Jones made his dreams a
reality 32 years ago when he joined the fire
department. After 20 years as assistant chief
he is a strong advocate for fire safety.
The process of becoming a Perryville
firefighter has changed a bit over the years.
“Our hiring process is a little bit
different,” Jones said. “We do have the
individuals put in an application for
employment with the city. We will take
applications at any time and we will
maintain those applications on file.”
The Perryville Fire Department operates
as a “paid-on-call” department, a method
that falls between volunteer and full time.
“Our firefighters are expected, if they
are able to respond, whether its day or
night.” Jones said. “It doesn’t matter if its
pouring rain, or snow, or 110 degrees out, if
their pager goes off, if they can go, they are
expected to respond to the fire station.”
Jones is proud of the current crew of 45
firefighters that responded to approximately
300 calls during 2017. firefighters takes place in town, usually in
Applicants should have obtained a high conjunction with neighboring departments,
school diploma or above before submitting “Being a firefighter is tough. but also at the Fire Academy at University
an application. Missouri Columbia, Mineral Area Fire
Once an application has been selected for It is hard, it is hot, it is cold, it is at times Academy, and St. Louis Fire Academy.
review, the applicant will undergo a series miserable ... and it certainly carries risks with it.” Although local firefighters are expected
of background checks including checks to be up to date on fire procedures, there are
with former employers, personal references, Perryville Fire Department Assistant Chief Bill Jones currently no physical tests prior to joining
school records, criminal histories, and the crew, compared to the rigorous physical
driving records. testing one might undergo to be hired at a
If an applicant makes it through the body, and it certainly carries risks with it.” year that the department expects new and full time department in more urban areas.
thorough background checks, then they In order to combat the risks of the old members of the crew to attend. “We have a small gym, or a workout
will usually be called in for a face-to-face profession, the deaprtment heavily “We start taking them out on calls area in the second floor of the main fire
interview with the hiring committee at the encourages its personnel to attend training immediately because the training never station,” Jones said. “It is open to all of
fire department. days. stops.” Jones said. “There is no such thing our firefighters and we encourage our
“We are always concerned about why a According to Jones, the Perryville Fire as training ever being over. Even when firefighters to run on the treadmill and lift
person wants to join the fire department,” Department has a history of strong fire and you think training might be over, like in weights and attempt to keep as physically fit
Jones said. “That’s always one of the big safety training. HAZMAT for example, it’s time to go back as possible.”
questions.” “I was reading an article from back in and get the refresher course.” As the department looks to the future,
The department looks to hire applicants 1874 when the fire department started,” Training includes a wide variety of Jones said it is focused on training and
with a community-based mindset, but most Jones said. “One of their big things in skills from learning CPR and first aid to fire improvement with a growth mind-set.
importantly, to hire those who are not afraid this article was the fact that their guys did sciences. Fire sciences inform firefighters of “We are always looking for ways to
of hard work. training. It was important for our department the typical way a fire will burn so they can improve the way we do things and we don’t
“Being a firefighter is tough,” Jones back in 1874 when it formed to mention predict the safest way to enter a situation and care who we learn it from,” Jones said. “The
said. “It is hard, it is hot, it is cold, it is at training, and it’s still very important today.” which areas should be evacuated first. key thing is, if there’s a better way to do it we
times miserable as far as conditions on the There are roughly 50 training days per The majority of training for local want to learn how to do it that better way.”

I would like to

gratitude
express my EVERYDAY
to all of
Plaza Tire takes pride in
HEROES
Perry County’s Thank you to all of our
First Responders for your
First Responders servicing vehicles to keep EVERYDAY Acts of heroism.
and the drivers safe while on the road. You make our county a

We are appreciative of the

better place to live and
extraordinary
raise our families.
service each May you always know how
safety that our First Responders
and every one appreciated you are.

of them provide to the citizens of

Police Dept. • Sheriff Dept.
provide! Perryville and Perry County!

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Ambulance Service

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The Republic-Monitor • www.perryvillenews.com FIRST RESPONDERS Tuesday, July 31, 2018 • 7B

Perryville & Perry County Firefighters

FIREFIGHTER FIREFIGHTER FIREFIGHTER FIREFIGHTER FIREFIGHTER FIREFIGHTER FIREFIGHTER FIREFIGHTER

Anthony Marler Steven Cook Scott Jannin Chandos Pittman Jeremy Zahner Josh Scherer Butch Hartman Tim Evans

FIREFIGHTER FIREFIGHTER/EMT FIREFIGHTER FIREFIGHTER FIREFIGHTER FIREFIGHTER FIREFIGHTER/EMT

Wesley Rader Ben Whited Logan Stortz Mike Stewart Nick Clifton Shane Galeski Steven Unterreiner

Equipped for the present, eyeing the future

By Alex Heeb
aheeb@perryvillenews.com
The commitment of Perryville city
officials to having fully modern fire
department has resulted in local first
responders being well equipped for
many types of emergencies, and given
department leadership a chance to look to
the future for even greater developments.
According to Bill Jones, who serves
as an assistant fire chief for the Perryville
Department, as well as the city’s assistant
police chief, the city currently has a
rating of 4 from the Insurance Services
Organization (ISO).
The ranking — which is a measure
of the fire department’s ability to deal
with structure fires, and a major factor is
setting homeowner’s insurance rates — is
a notable achievement for a city the size
of Perryville, Jones said.
Both Cape Girardeau and Jackson,
which have full-time fire departments,
are also given a rating of four, while
Perryville has managed to do so with
only part-time firefighters.
The department, which currently
utilizes a 45-man roster of paid on-call
firefighters, will likely be undergoing
additional upgrades in the future that
could further improve it’s ISO.
In the near term, Jones said the city
intends to replace a rescue truck that is
approaching the end of its serviceable life
with a similar apparatus – but one which
has specialized emergency equipment,
allowing it to gain more points with ISO.
Republic-Monitor/ROBERT COX
The city has also purchased land for
the construction of a fully modern fire
station, which Jones says would result in
a great improvement to fire safety.
“We don’t have enough room to walk
around,” Jones said, of the current fire
stations.
Once the new station, planned for
the Highway 51 bypass, is eventually
constructed, the fire department will have
two stations – something ISO likes, since
it means the average distance from a fire
station to a city home is reduced.
The arrangement will also allow for
all the city’s main rescue equipment to be
stored at the main fire stations. Currently,
some specialized rescue vehicles are
stored offsite, due to lack of space.
Jones said there has also been talk of
increasing the force’s manpower. While
50 firefighters may seem like a lot, he
said, and increasing number of employers
are unwilling to let firefighters leave for
emergencies during working hours.
As a result, he said, the fire
department is sometimes stretched thin
for manpower. This is especially the case
during hot summer months and extreme
cold in the winter, when firefighters must
be rotated out more often.
In spite of the challenges, however,
Jones said he feels like the department is
well calibrated for the needs of the city.
Residents, he said, have shown that fire
safety and having a strong emergency
force is important to them.

Biehle Community Fire Protection Association

The Biehle Community
Fire Protection Association
is made up of (from left)
Fire Chief/Paramedic
Jason Dauster, Asst.
Chief Kyle Hagan,
Firefighter/Paramedic
Doyle Lawrence, Captain
Jon Lukefahr, Firefighter/
Retired Chief Bernie
Heornig, Firefighter Josh
Pohlmann, Firefighter
Cody Kiefer, Firefighter
Stefanie Buchheit,
Firefighter/Captain Jeff
Leible, Firefighter/EMT
Kim Martin, and Firefighter
Becky Buchheit, along with
(not pictured) Captain/
Paramedic Mike Martin,
Firefighter Kaleb Dauster,
Firefighter/Paramedic Todd
Ransom, Firefighter Pete
Unverferth, Firefighter Ben
Jansen, Firefighter Wayne
Keifer, and Firefighter Tate
Keifer.
Submitted photo

I would like to THANK

all the First Responders for their We take pride in knowing
tremendous work and dedication
to the citizens of
that there are such dedicated
Perryville and Perry County! First Responders in
our community!
AMERICAN LEGION
Moonier/Reddick
or 573
547•1523 Post 133
WARD I
24-HOUR - ALL WEATHER - ALL VEHICLES 98 Grand Avenue • Perryville, MO • 573-547-4588
8B • Tuesday, July 31, 2018 FIRST RESPONDERS The Republic-Monitor • www.perryvillenews.com

Air Evac Lifeteam 80

AIR EVAC FLIGHT NURSE AIR EVAC PARAMEDIC AIR EVAC FLIGHT NURSE AIR EVAC PILOT AIR EVAC MECHANIC AIR EVAC PARAMEDIC AIR EVAC PILOT AIR EVAC PARAMEDIC
Catherine Dreifke David Ochs Gavin Flentge Graham Ritter Gregg Taul Joshua Ennis Markus Bollmeier Nathan Wolk

AIR EVAC PILOT AIR EVAC FLIGHT NURSE AIR EVAC PARAMEDIC AIR EVAC PARAMEDIC AIR EVAC FLIGHT NURSE
RANDAL BYRD Robbie Mize Stephen Tomko Steve Hake Tom Ziegler

Air ambulance crews work

hard to take medical care to new heights
By Justin Hotop
jhotop@perryvillenews.com

For this job, a person can’t be afraid of

heights.
For Steve Hake, a paramedic with Air
Evac Lifeteam 80 based in Perryville, it’s
not an issue, but for others he has flown
with, it has been a problem.
“There’s kind of an adjustment period
because it’s kind of tight quarters and there
isn’t a lot of room in there,” Hake said.
“But you get used to the whole thing and
being in the small helicopter.”
Air Evac Lifeteam was established in
1985 by a group of citizens in West Plains.
The goal was to provide air medical
transportation and ensure access to
emergency health care for their remote
community in the Missouri Ozark region.
Although air ambulances were primarily
based in metropolitan areas at the time, the
company founders believed that the people
who needed air medical transport the most
were those living in rural areas, often far
away from a hospital.
Today, Air Evac remains an independent
provider and works impartially with other
Republic-Monitor/ROBERT COX
health care providers, including more than
2,000 diverse referral sources representing
more than 1,000 hospitals and EMS Air Evac Lifeteam provides air medical transportation and emergency medical care in many rural parts of the country, in-
agencies, ensuring patients are cared for cluding Perry County, where Air Evac 80 supports local first responders in many emergency situations. Local agencies re-
and transported to the most appropriate ceive training in establishing landing zones for the aircraft and the local hospital maintains a landing pad on its campus.
medical facility.
Hake has been with the Perryville-based
air ambulance crew for four years and says equipment and good management that
that the paramedics and flight nurses go really helps us provide the best care to the
through a lot of training to be able to go up people of the community.”
in the air.
Flight nurses and paramedics are AIR EVAC LIFETEAM 80 The company’s air ambulances provide
access to many medically underserved
enrolled in a six-month Clinical Internship areas of the country, often in rural areas that
program.
That internship introduces them to
VIDEO TOUR other air ambulance companies may not
adequately service and is able to respond
didactic training, hands-on skills training, rapidly through a large number of mutually
a simulated patient care, and flight safety. supporting bases in collaboration with
After that the interns have to pass a test to numerous hospitals, physicians, 911 centers
be able to go into the air. and EMS agencies.
“We do the regular ground paramedic Air Evac also takes an active role in
training and the internship,” Hake said. the advancement of health care services in
“Then after that, we have to pass a test www.perryvillenews.com the communities it services, through local
through a medical director. We have to test interest in, knowledge of and relationships
out to make sure we up to standards to fly.” in each community.
After all the testing and certification, The company states that is dedicated
Hake has been able to treat patients in the to “providing superior patient care
small helicopter. easy choice. have a progressive protocol and training and aviation operations associated
“We are doing all types of procedures, “Being a member of Air Evac presents that allows us to have a bigger scope of with substantial financial resources,
while we are flying around,” Hake said. a challenge in that they have a high practice a professionally managed, common
“We are starting all types of medications standard of care,” Hake said. “We do some For paramedics like Hake, the thought infrastructure and standardized, centrally
and getting our drips set up. It’s definitely aggressive and life-saving treatments that of being in the medical field was always controlled operations.”
a different environment than a hospital on were interesting to me.” a thought in the back of their mind. To be Hake enjoys being a part of the
the ground.” Along with that, the Air Evac team has able to help people is something that is a Perryville Air Evac team.
But why would a person choose going some differences in the kinds of equipment rewarding part of his job. “We work a lot with the local fire
into the air rather than keeping two feet they carry over a traditional ambulance. “We are faced with difficult challenges departments,police departments, and
on the ground? For Hake and his fellow “We have some different medications,” every day because every patients’ needs ground EMS,” Hake said. “I think we serve
paramedics in the Air Evac team, it was an Hake said. “A lot of it is similar, but we are different,” Hake said. “We have good the community well.”

Gilster Mary Lee takes pride in We Proudly Support all of

keeping our employees safe in their
Perry County’s First Responders!
working environment, and we are
proud of the safety and service

MIKE Thank you to

all of the First
provided by Perry County’s
First Responders!
SAUER
PRESIDING
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keeping our
Perry County
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The Republic-Monitor • www.perryvillenews.com
PCMH Ambulance Service
PARAMEDIC PARAMEDIC
Harrison Tucker Paula Jones
PARAMEDIC PARAMEDIC
Jennifer France Bethany Davis
PARAMEDIC PARAMEDIC
Anthony Hunt Rachel Jannin
County’s ambulance service
developed from strange roots
By Phoebe Pohlman
ppohlman@murraystate.edu
The ambulance service in Perry County
has not always been a simple 911 call away.
What has now evolved into a full time
lifesaving county service started out as
local funeral homes putting their hearses to
extra use.
In the early 1950s, Bey Funeral Home
and Young & Sons Funeral Home took
turns making ambulance calls day and
night.
John Young of Young & Sons Funeral
Home said the primitive ambulance service
offered the bare minimum.
“Basically we were just a ride,” Young
said. “I think it was $10 in the county, $20
dollars out of the county. If they had to go
to Cape or St. Louis, it was $20.”
The elongated back end of the company
hearses — normally used to transport
coffins — worked just as well to carry
injured people to a hospital.
Seeing a need for a more sophisticated
system of transport, a man named Lloyd
Keifer took over the ambulance duties
of Perry County and moved the service
to a brick shed where Bank of Missouri
currently stands at the intersection of Hwy.
51 and Hwy. 61.
Keifer ran the service until the mid
1970s when he was ready to retire.
At this point, Perry County Memorial
Hospital took over all ambulance
responsibilities, but was still being
subsidized by the county.
In 1979, the hospital hired the first
paramedic with the ability to administer
advanced life support.
When Minutes Matter, Trust PCMH
Perry County Memorial Hospital’s Ambulance Service
has an impressive response time of 2 minutes,
quicker than the regional and state averages.
Perry County Memorial Hospital’s STEMI (heart attack)
identification time has been impeccable, averaging
4.63 minutes, which surpasses standards set forth by the
American Heart Association.
Perry County Memorial Hospital’s Stroke
assessment and procedure implementation
averages 4.1 minutes, astoundingly lower
than the 10 minute goal set by the state.
FIRST RESPONDERS
PARAMEDIC PARAMEDIC
Todd Ransom Travis Schubert
PARAMEDIC PARAMEDIC
Brandon Hinkle Brandon Davis
During the 1950s, hearses
from Bey Funeral Home and
Young & Sons Funeral Home
served as the first ambulance
service to transport injured
citizens to local hospitals.
PARAMEDIC
Zach Heberlie
Although the skill level of first
responders was increasing, the dispatching
system was still in need of improvement.
During the mid to late 1970s,
emergency calls were sent directly into first
responders’ home phones, so they would
first receive the call at home and then drive
to the ambulance service before taking the
ambulance out to the responding site.
According to Mary Chappius, director
of Perry County Ambulance Service, this
created a significant delay in response time.
“Before they were here at the ambulance
service, one [first responder] lived on
Edgemont, so you figure probably a 5-7
minute delay,” Chappius said. “If you don’t
have clothes on, you have to put clothes on
before you can respond to the ambulance
service so you can grab the ambulance and
PARAMEDIC PARAMEDIC
John Meinhardt Carla Degenhardt
PARAMEDIC PARAMEDIC
Phil Matzker Matt Smith
File photo
go on the call.”
This inefficient method of contact lasted
until the early 1980s when the first full-
time crew was established at the ambulance
service.
With a full-time crew on hand, the
ambulance service needed a better dispatch
protocol. Ambulance calls began to be
received by what was then called the ward
clerk at the Admitting Communications
Center office in the hospital.
“They had an actual ambulance phone
sitting there, and when that phone rang, she
would have to stop what she was doing and
take the call,” Chappius said. “She would
then get a hold of us and send it to the
ambulance people.”
This newer and more efficient contact
system resulted in a steadily increasing call
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Tuesday, July 31, 2018 • 9B
DIRECTOR & PARAMEDIC PARAMEDIC
Mary Chappius Steve Hake
PARAMEDIC PARAMEDIC
Chris Koesterer Taylor Raines
volume
received by the
ambulance service.
Because of the increasing number of
calls, the ambulance service established its
second full-time crew in 1996.
Today, the Perry County Ambulance
Service receives around 3,000 calls per
year which are dispatched by trained
emergency personnel at the Sheriff’s office.
“If someone calls in with a medical
condition, they have specific questions
they ask the caller,” Chappius said. “If
someone is in cardiac arrest they will coach
them about how to do CPR. They can ask
specific questions to see if somebody is
having a stroke.”
In order to handle the current call
volume, Perry County Ambulance Service
employs 26 people.
With such a large staff, the service is
able to offer two full-time crews available
24 hours a day with a third and fourth crew
voluntarily coming in from home in the
event of a large emergency.
The most unique thing about the modern
Perry County Ambulance Service is its
owner.
According to Chappius, it is rare to
still see an ambulance service completely
owned and operated by the local hospital.
“We are not an ambulance district.”
Chappius said. “You see that in a lot of
counties.” “A district is tax supported by
the residents, so everybody pays a tax for
the ambulance service, but we are not like
that. There’s not a whole lot of hospital
based ambulances anymore because a lot of
them have went to districts, but our hospital
has continued to support us.”
10B • Tuesday, July 31, 2018 FIRST RESPONDERS The Republic-Monitor • www.perryvillenews.com

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