Campbell Co

NEWS RELEASE Campbell County Office of Emergency Management Agency 8774 Constable Drive Alexandria, KY 41001 For more information contact: Turner, William, Director 859-635-1111 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Alexandria, KY — May 6, 2009 —Today, Judge Steve Pendery announced the appointment of William Ray Turner as the Director of the Campbell County Office of Emergency Management. Turner replaces Ken Knipper who retired March1, 2009. “Bill Turner’s extensive experience in disaster planning made Bill stand out among the candidates for the Campbell County Emergency Management Director, said Robert Horine Campbell County Administrator. Bill has had a very successful tenure as emergency management director for 10 years”, whatever the circumstances at the end of his tenure, there was nothing that took away from the overall success of his tenure. There were a lot of people in Butler County who gave him a very strong recommendation.” “I am extremely happy and very honored with the appointment as Director of the Campbell County Office of Emergency Management. I appreciate the faith and support of Judge/Executive Pendery in naming me as the replacement of my good friend Ken Knipper. This was the position I had in mind when I left the Butler County Emergency Management Agency in March so both I and the family are very excited about the move to Kentucky, Turner said. Turner added, “I also appreciate the support of a number of Butler County officials who wrote letters of support and talked directly with Judge Pendery about my efforts on behalf of Butler County and the positive record I have achieved while serving as Butler County EM director”. Turner comes to Campbell County having served the past ten plus years as Butler County, Ohio’s Emergency Management Director. Turner spent the prior ten years serving as the Area 10 Disaster and Emergency Services Coordinator for the Kentucky Division of Disaster and Emergency Services (DES). He is a graduate of Owsley County High School and Eastern Kentucky University. Mr. Turner has a broad background in emergency management and emergency services having worked as Owsley County DES Director prior to working for Kentucky State Government. Turner has also served as Chairman of the Owsley County Chapter of the American Red Cross, Chairman of the Owsley County Local Emergency Planning

Committee, as both President and Secretary/Treasurer of the Owsley County Rescue Squad, Chief of the Booneville-Owsley County Fire Department and Secretary of the Owsley County Fire District Board of Trustees. Turner was also a member of the Kentucky Emergency Management Assistance Committee for the state of Kentucky and served on the Governors Health Care Reform Round Table on Emergency Management and Medical Services. While serving as Area Coordinator, Turner lead the response to thirteen separate Presidential Disaster Declarations which included floods, tornado’’s and winter storms. As Area Coordinator, Turner coordinated eight county emergency management agencies and supervised eight county EMA Directors. While serving as Owsley County director Turner obtained funds and supervised construction of the Owsley County Emergency Management Center and gained county funding for both the county EMA program and the county rescue squad. Mr. Turner has been recognized for his work in being named Outstanding Employee of the Year with in the Kentucky Department of Military Affairs in 1991, the Meritorious Service Award by the Kentucky Division of Disaster and Emergency Services in 1998 and named the Volunteer of the Decade by the Owsley County Emergency Management Agency in 1995. While serving as the Director of the Butler County Emergency Management Agency, Mr. Turner lead in the creation of the Butler County Technical Rescue Team and the enhancement of the Butler County Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Cooperative. Mr. Turner was also instrumental in the creation of an 800 Mhz Countywide Public Safety Communications System. During his tenure as the EM director in Butler County, Turner obtain over $25 million dollars for emergency management and public safety improvements. Turner left Butler County in March with nearly one million dollars in Homeland Security Grants available for the county to construct a new emergency operations center. Mr. Turner has served as Vice President (1999) and President (2000-2001) of the Western Ohio Emergency Management Association. Turner is a member of the International Association of Emergency Managers, the Emergency Management Association of Ohio and the Western Ohio Emergency Management Association. Turner serves on the Board of Directors of the Greater Hamilton Safety Council, is a member of the Butler County Local Emergency Planning Committee, Butler County Homeland Security Advisory Committee, the Butler County 911 Technical Advisory Committee, and the Butler County 800 Mhz Communications Committee. Mr. Turner and his wife Laurie have two children Jessie and Tyler.