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By EMILY WEAVER
Editor
Three houses up for
demolition in the city last
week paved the way for
firefighters to participate
in a special course on fire
studies with federal and
state agents.
Arson investigators
and technicians with the
Federal Bureau of Inves-
tigation, State Bureau of
Investigation and Alco-
hol Tobacco and Firearms
forces used special equip-
_ ment to give firefighters
a better understanding of
_ the true “dragon” they
are often up against. In
addition to other items
discussed during the
three-day course, fire-
fighters from multiple ju- -
risdictions learned about
arson fire modeling, fire
scene reconstruction and
data analysis.
Assistant Fire Chief
Jamie Black said that
they really enjoyed the
opportunity to “cross
train with numerous de-
partments.”
The course, which is
rarely available in the re-
gion, was sponsored by
Cleveland Community
College and the Kings
‘Mountain Fire Depart-
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
ment, which hosted the
agents.
Inside the first practice
burn location at 504 N.
Watterson Street, SBI and
ATE agents began to set
up their equipment on
Tuesday afternoon. A
thermocouple tree hung
from the ceiling of a
room next to the one
where the fire would be
set. The “tree” is a term
used to describe a group
of thermocouple wires,
which are used to meas-
ure the heat and smoke
at different levels of the
room.
The Kings Mountain Herald
Firefighters get special training with federal,
Each thermocouple
(sensor on the wire) has a
number that corresponds
to the data it collects and
sends to a DAQ (Data
Acquisition) device
which was stationed out-
side of the house. The
DAQ then records and
calculates the data, al-
lowing investigators to
see the levels of heat in
comparison to the pro-
gression of the fire.
Three small cameras
were set up in various lo-
cations inside the burn-
site. The cameras, which
were later destroyed in
the fire, sent real-time im-
ages back to a monitor
that was stationed next to
the DAQ book outside.
The monitors, showing a
four-split screen, received
and recorded the images
and allowed firefighters
and agents outside to see
the fire progress to the
point of no return -
flashover.
One of the SBI agents
said that although she
has heard some firefight-
ers say that they have
been in a flashover, to
survive such a situation
is highly unlikely. A
flashover occurs when
the temperature inside a
room on fire becomes so
hot that everything ig-
nites at once, sparking
unrestrained fire growth
and complete destruc-
tion. The goal on Tues-
day was to get the room
to flash over.
An old firefighter suit
donated by the KMFD
sat stoically in a chair in-
side the room to be
burned. “We want them
"to see how much their
‘equipment will with-
stand,” said one of the
SBI agents. “These suits
aren't fireproof. They're
only fire-resistant.”
. KMFD will finish de-
Belts buckle down for luminary service
by ELIZABETH STEWART
staff writer
The 12th annual Christ-
mas Eve luminary service
in Kings Mountain's
Mountain Rest Cemetery
is shaping up to be the
most impressive ever.
Organizers Jim and
Brenda Belt, who started
the project in 1997 by plac-
ing luminaries on 40
graves of friends and rela-
tives, expect over 5,000 lu-
minaries to be lit this year.
The Belts need 60 vol-
unteers to help them begin
lighting the candles at 2
pm. next Wednesday,
Christmas Eve. Two Scout
troops from Crouse and
Gastonia and Tonya Jack-
son will start filling the
milk jugs this week with
sand and lining the en-
trance with jugs and plac-
ing one on each grave.
The public is invited to
drive or walk through the
cemetery beginning at 6
p.m. entering the Main
gate on Dilling Street and
exiting the cemetery on
Deal Street. The service
will go on rain or shine
from 6 p.m. until mid-
night. .
There is no admission
charge, however dona-
tions are welcome to con-
tribute to the cost of
candles for next year.
“We try to include
something special each
year and this year a mes-
sage will be spelled out
with candles and music
will be played from the
magnificient bell tower,
the Carillon, said Belt. He
said some added costs of
stainless steel have esca-
lated the tower costs and
the project is $15,000 over
budget. Kings Mountain
area people have pur-
chased brick pavers in
memory or honor of loved
-ones and so far 300 names
have been placed on the
markers, with 140 remain-
ing to be placed, he said.
Still to be placed on top of
the tower is a glittering
crown.
The luminary show of
candles this Christmas
Eve will be nearly triple
what it was last year.
“We are all giving back
to the community by sup-
porting this project which
has exceeded all our ex-
pectations,” said Belt, who
said the original idea
started at the death of his
mother, Christine Belt,
when Jim's wife wanted to
place ‘a luminary on her
grave and they added 39
more luminaries to honor
friends and loved ones.
Talk about the gift that
keeps on giving. That's
how the Belts feel about
the bell tower realized
through the generosity of
many people.
Woodbridge to hold annual lawnmower parade
The Woodbridge com-
munity’s 15th annual
Lawnmower Christmas
Parade will be held on
Sunday, December 21,
2008 at 2 p.m.
The parade is held in
memory of Charlie Gane,
one of the procession’s
founders and supporters
who passed away a cou-
ple of years ago with mul-
tiple sclerosis. When the
idea of a lawnmower pa-
rade was mentioned dur-
ing one summer over 15
years ago, Gane began to
look forward to this new
way of celebrating Christ-
mas. He reminded parade
organizer Doug Sharp of
their idea about a week
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and after “some last
minute scrounging and
rallying, Woodbridge’s
Lawnmower Parade was
brought to life.
But decked-out grass-
cutters are not the only
sights to be seen in this
procession. All types of
decorated lawnmowers,
tractors, pick-up trucks,
cars, bikes, golf carts, a fire
truck or two and people
on foot join in the fun.
Sharp said that the people
are encouraged to fall in
line and join the proces-
‘sion, which will make a
few stops along the way
to sing Christmas carols
for some of the commu-
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nity’s shut-ins.
Homemade cookies
and hot cider will be
served to carolers and pa-
raders. And, just like in
years passed, Santa will
make a special appear-
ance offering his lap for
last minute requests.
The procession will
start lining up about 1:30
p.m. and will step off on
Dunes Drive in North
Woodbridge, off of Stony
Point Road near Moss
Lake. The parade will
continue about a mile.
There is no cost or reg-
istration required to enter
the parade.
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D EL 1] N ( 3 E R S KINGS MOUNTAIN, NC 28086
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JEWEL SHOP, INC. MON-SAT 9A-5:30P
molishing the house in practice.
another practice burn on Black said that they
a later date. The practice ~~ would like to thank the
burn gave firefighters a Bethlehem and No. Three
chance to hone their volunteer fire depart-
skills. Two other houses, ~~ ments for their help with
one on Sims Street, which suppression in the prac-
was owned and up for tice burns and the neigh-
demolition upon request bors “for putting up with
by Kings Mountain Hos- the smoke and smells”
pital, and the other on W. that resulted from the
Mountain Street, which fires.
was owned and up for The course ended on
demolition upon request ~ Thursday with the final
by First Baptist Church, demolition on W. Moun-
offered two more oppor- tain Street.
tunities for lessons and
Battling change
In a struggling school economy
By EMILY WEAVER
Editor
Part II of a series
Ed.’s note: Inlast week's Herald, the decision of five-year-old
autistic child Trevor Walker's transportation to and from
school was made by an IEP (Individualized Education Plan)
team, not Cleveland County Schools. IEP teams
consist of a school administrator, the child's teacher, support
staff and the child's parent or legal guardian. The team is sup-
posed to work together to come up with an IEP that will best
suit the child’s needs. Trevor's aunt Robin Crisp, however, felt
that some decisions, like his transportation, were made before
she came to the meeting.
It was also noted in last week's story that the “pot of
money” used to fund children with special needs in the school
system was allegedly “running dry.” After further inspection
of this year’s budget that doesn’t seem to be the case. The in-
‘structional department “taking a big hit” as quoted by Assis-
tant Supt. Dr. Martha Hill, who is over curriculum and
instruction, isn’t shown in the budget either...
Most, if not all, seem to be wavering in the winds of the
current economy. Cleveland County Schools has felt the chill
of this breeze. And young students with special needs like
Trevor Walker seem to be blown away by some of the changes
swirling around them.
Trevor is autistic. Change is very hard for him and, being
autistic, expressing what he needs to say can be even harder.
After losing his parents in a fatal car wreck a couple of years
ago, he looks to his aunt Robin Crisp to help him speak the
words he has not been able to say - “help.” :
Trevor is trying to adjust to a new class, new teachers and
anew environment this year. These were changes that would
have had to have been made any way, since he turned five
and aged out of the special SKATES pre-K program at Beth-
ware. The program he was in, which was the same one Crisp’s
13-year-old autistic son also attended, has since moved and
changed. It is no longer called “SKATES,” an outdated
acronym whose meaning even Paula Sutherland, CCS’ di-
rector of exceptional children, could not remember.
“Ttwas simply a preschool program, which we have many
of all over our system,” she said, adding that the program
serves Head Start, Smart Start, More-at-Four, EC (exceptional
children), and Title kids from age three up until kindergarten.
“SK ATES was a specific program for children with devel-
opmental delays,” Crisp said. But when the class moved to
Jefferson Elementary; it began to serve a conglomerate of pre-
K students.
“One of the really wonderful things in Cleveland County,
and we sort of lead the pack in doing this, (is) we took all of the
preschool entities the More-at-Four, the Smart Start, the Head
Start, the TitleI (and) we have blended all of those under
one umbrella. Cindy Borders is the director of the Of-
fice of School Readiness, which houses all of these
See BATTLE, Page 11
#
Summit Place of Kings Mountain's
Parade of Trees 2008
December 8" — January 2
. Everyone is cordially invited to visit our
* home and join us in our celebration of
+ Christmas. This year we have 15 trees through-
+ out our community. Be sure to vote for your
. favorite tree! There are eight categories this
» year. Visit us 7 days a week from 8am-
7:30pm.
Voting ends on December 28th, but trees
will remain on display through January 2nd.
Winners will be announced in the New
Year’s Day edition of the Shelby Star and in
# the January 7th edition of the Kings Mountain
Herald.
Wb He
@ HW
+ This is an annual event for us. Come see
« what all of the fuss is about!
® WE ARE EASY TO FIND!
¢ 1001 Phifer Road, Kings Mountain, NC
: 704-739-6772
A Bell Senior Living Community
Visit us on our new website!
+ www.summitplaceofkingsmountain.com
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