Camp Atterbury fire station.
The Republic file photo
The horrific mass shooting at Greenwood Park Mall in which a gunman killed three people and wounded two others could have been so much worse. Seymour resident Elisjsha “Eli” Dicken was widely praised by law enforcement as a hero for quick action in fatally shooting the gunman. Dicken, authorities said, answered a call to put his life on the line to save lives, and his quick action undoubtedly did just that.
Bartholomew County’s emergency services personnel answered the call, too, in a more literal sense. As the terrible, chaotic scene unfolded 35 miles north of Columbus, so many people were calling 911 that, for what’s believed to be the first time, emergency calls to Johnson County dispatchers rolled over to our local E911 center.
They acted fast, too. They rerouted deputies to the mall scene, where they assisted by controlling traffic and clearing people from the mall, among other things. Dispatchers, meanwhile, continued to provide much-needed backup for their colleagues to the north.
“They just did a fantastic job,” Bartholomew County 911 Emergency Operations Center Director Todd Noblitt said of the dispatchers. “One of the things we do is train for active shooter situations, and we will be looking at our procedures and training after this,” he said. “We train for these calls coming in as far as taking a neighboring county’s calls.”
We’re thankful for those who answered the call on Sunday.
‘Forever chemicals’ call for measured concern
News that traces of “forever chemicals” have been detected at Camp Atterbury is cause for concern, because toxic PFAS agents carry with them the risk of cancer, low birth weight and other potential health problems.
We do not know much yet about how those chemicals linked to firefighting foam were stored and may have made their way into the environment, or how dangerous the situation is. So far, as The Republic’s Andy East reported, PFAS were detected in groundwater at the camp, but not in the drinking water supply.
Columbus also will begin monitoring drinking water in January, but city utility director Roger Kelso predicted a “low probability” of contamination.
Atterbury is by no means unique. As East reported, the chemicals used in everything from cookware to carpets to firefighting foam since the 1940s have been detected at 385 other military sites across the country. Given PFAS’ prevalence, researchers believe that most Americans have been exposed to them.
But only in recent years have the potential dangers from these chemicals become commonly known. We’ll know more about the extent of local risks when more data becomes available.
‘Transition to Teaching’ sound initiative
Bartholomew County School Corp. is offering some extra credit to entice eligible candidates to become certified teachers, launching the “Transitioning to Teaching Pathway Paraeducators” initiative and the “Transition to Teaching Reimbursement Program.” As The Republic’s Jana Wiersema reported, these programs respectively offer tuition reimbursement as an incentive for support staff and community members, and for BCSC teachers currently working on short-term permits.
Due to a nationwide teaching shortage, the state has allowed temporary exemptions for noncertified teachers who hold bachelor’s degrees, provided they are working toward certification. About 35 to 40 BCSC teachers out of about 760 are currently serving on Transition to Teaching or emergency permits.
BCSC is wise to smooth the pathway toward full certification for qualified people who are already in the community, and in many cases, already educating our community’s children.
