J.R. Brandenburg is the Road Supervisor of the Scott County Road Department. He and his wife of 42 years decided to settle here for their careers and for that special Scott County feeling of “home.” He lives with his family, including his son and grandson, while working for the county. He worked in the equipment business for 20 years before getting involved in county government in the Road Department. When the road supervisor at the time became County Clerk, the position opened up for Brandenburg. His responsibilities include maintaining his department and the roads they are in charge of, scheduling yearly road pavements, snow removal, high water issues and damage, and providing for the overall care and safety of Scott County roads. He says that there is never a dull moment in his field of work, but he enjoys all the ups and downs, challenges, and rewards of working for the good people of Scott County. His goal for the upcoming year is to keep improving the roads while keeping up with the growing population and increasing traffic. He wants to see the roads continue to get better and safer for all citizens. Lastly, Brandenburg says that the constant support from the judge and all the court members makes his job a lot easier. They always make sure he has all the equipment and services he needs to keep the roads in the best condition possible.

The Police Department’s annual “No Shave November” fundraiser is in full effect this year. Male officers are typically not allowed to have facial hair whatsoever throughout the year, but during the months of November and December, they are allowed to let it grow with a donation of at least $25 a month for those two months. The money they raise is pooled together to participate in Whitaker Bank’s Angel Tree program. Once their funds are raised, they will go to the bank and pick out names of children on the tree to buy Christmas presents for that year. They have been able to buy gifts for up to 13 children each Christmas since the tradition started.

Those who choose to shave or any officer can still donate to the cause or go buy toys for the children themselves, but the officers say that about half of the station participates by keeping their scruffy beards for the entire start of winter. They can also pay to keep their beards for both November and December or just for one month.

The men really enjoy this tradition because they normally have to shave every day. One officer said that he has been working in the police force for over 20 years and has had to shave every day except during this winter tradition. They also enjoy the morale boost that comes along with comparing each other’s facial hair as the months go by.

Two weeks before Christmas all the money is put together to see how many children they can buy for that year. They usually try to put about $125 towards each child to meet both their needs and their wants. When they pick a name off of the tree, the only thing they know is the child’s gender, age, clothing/shoe size, and three top wishes for Christmas. They have bought bikes and helmets, nerf guns, and all sorts of fun toys for the Angel Tree kids. The officers always try to buy two outfits and the number 1 toy for each child, and sometimes they are able to get all three wishes provided they have enough funds for them. A main priority is to keep the child warm for the winter by buying winter coats, hats, and gloves. Once they buy all the gifts, they will take them back to the bank and the bank will give the gifts to the families. It is all anonymous.

The beards have to be gone by January 1^st, but until then, keep a look out for some scruffy faces around Scott County!

The GSCEMS department, founded in 1976, was recently honored at the 2019 Kentucky EMS Recognition banquet as agency of the year for their region. The banquet was held by the KY Ambulance Provider Association and it is held every year to honor outstanding EMS departments in the state. The GSCEMS department is a part of Region 5 along with 17 other large counties including Lexington, Frankfort, Danville, and Richmond. The award is an honor to all employees of the department including Director Brandon Remley, Assistant Director Corey Wood, and their 38 full time employees, 6 part time employees, and education coordinator. Considering the sizes of the other counties in the region, the Scott County department is grateful to have received the award this year for the third time. They have received the award in 2013, 2016, and now in 2019.

In order to receive the award, a department outside of their own county must nominate another department and recognize the reasons they are deserving of the award. The major reasons listed for GSCEMS’s nomination were that they are the only agency in the commonwealth to certify all of its employees in Advanced Stroke Life Support and they are the only agency to have instructors from their department to teach that program in the state. They were 1 of 13 ambulance services out of the 183 services in the state to receive the Pediatric Excellence award from the Kentucky Board of EMS. This award recognizes agencies who require more pediatric education and equipment that what is required by state regulations. They were also 1 of 22 out of the 183 agencies in Kentucky to receive the Silver Plus award from the American Heart Association. This award recognizes agencies with excellence in prehospital cardiac care. Also, the education programs ran through the GSCEMS department for all state counties were another contributor for their nomination. GSCEMS values top-notch patient care for all individuals and they work hard to improve the quality of EMS training for all counties through their education programs. They teach agencies all over the state in order to certify quality employees for other agencies as well as for their own department.

A goal the department has to maintain their high reputation is staying on the cutting edge of pre-hospital medicine. They want to budget for nicer ventilators and other advanced equipment to stay on the top of patient care. They will continue to provide antibiotics to trauma patients with open wounds to decrease mortality rate and chances of infection along with only 5 other departments in the state. They want to continue to work closely with all hospitals in the area to ensure immediate, effective care for the individuals in Scott County.

The GSCEMS department would also like to thank the Fiscal Court for assisting them with any needs they might have, supporting their education programs, and for making their innovative pre-hospital care a top priority for the county. Director Remley says that this award belongs to the court members just as much as it belongs to the department.