Last Monday, in Greenville County, SC, a lumber truck overturned dumping its load all over Interstate 85 causing huge traffic delays. As happens in many instances, a news crew came on scene, and what happened next was a nightmare come true. Fox Carolina news photographer, Joe Loy, was struck and killed. According to the SCHP, a pickup truck cut off a van who then swerved and struck Mr. Loy. The van stopped, the pickup truck did not. Mr. Loy was a husband and father.

We speak so often of law enforcement and emergency personnel and their dangers on our roadsides and roadways, that we forget the others who risk their lives for us. We want to be able to turn on the news, and see the worst of it. We are almost addicted to the gore and mortality, and we ask for more. The media is there because we ask them to be. The news channel watched is the news channel that gives us the nightmares come to life. Please don’t deny it because we all do it.

You don’t have to wear a uniform to be in danger. Accident scenes will host more than sirens. They will host the media, DOT crews, coroners, witnesses and more. It is not unheard of to have 50-100 people at one accident scene. We write the laws to protect those who protect us, but in our actions on the road please remember…we could be out there, too.

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I apologize for the delay in this month’s update, but I was awaiting our final Fat Buddies fundraiser numbers. Unfortunately, I still don’t have the exact dollar amount, but a close estimate. First, with the amazing assistance of Brooke Smith (our FORS Board of Directors’ Secretary and wife of Trooper Scott Smith) and Tina McCall (Brooke’s mom), we had a great information table set up at the front of the restaurant. Between shirt and ticket sales for our drawing, as well as donations we made $660 in our little fish bowl! Fat Buddies owner, Judy St. John, informed me last night that our check will be between $1500 and $2000!!!!!! THANK YOU FAT BUDDIES OF WAYNESVILLE, NC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Judy and her son, Clay, have invited us to have another fundraiser at their Asheville location this summer! We are considering a Thursday in July, and we will keep you informed. We hope to turn it into a law enforcement and emergency services information day as well by inviting local police, fire and rescue to bring their vehicles to show off to the public. We hope to invite a local radio station to broadcast for the day as well. Everything is still in discussion mode, so please keep your eyes and ears out. We will also be needing many volunteers to assist us in coordinating the event and will put out a request shortly. Again, THANK YOU FAT BUDDIES OF WAYNESVILLE, NC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I also want to thank the following businesses for sponsorship of our fundraiser. If you are local, please make sure you honor these fine businesses:
FAT BUDDIES of Waynesville
INGLES of Waynesville
Trooper Anthony G. Cogdill Memorial Golf Tournament**
HOME SPECIALTY BUILDING MATERIALS
WACHOVIA (who sponsored Tina McCall to be able to assist us with our fundraiser for the entire afternoon as well as donating items for our drawing)
GHOST TOWN HARLEY DAVIDSON
SEARS of Waynesville
DESIGN COMPANY
K-MART
WAL-MART
LOWES
AVON / Betsy Wall
CUSTOM HARDWOOD
SERENITY DAY SPA
JELLY BELLIES
Thank you as well to the following people or agencies for your assistance that day: Taft Spence, Michele Holden, Tyler Howell, The Mountaineer, The Smoky Mountain News, WLOS, WPTL radio, North Carolina State Highway Patrol, Waynesville Police Department, Haywood County Sheriffs Department, Haywood County Emergency Management Services and the scores of others who went out of their way to ensure that our day would be a success.

Now onto other news…

The 2007 TROOPER AG COGDILL MEMORIAL GOLF TOURNAMENT will be held on SATURDAY, JULY 21st at the Lake Junaluska Golf Course. Registration and hole sponsorship is currently open! Here is the information:
Fees - $65 per player; LJGC Members $50 per player
Lunch served from 12 - 1:30pm
Shot-gun start at 2pm
Hole sponsorships available for $75 per hole
Registration deadline July 18th
Mulligans and red tees available
Rain date July 28th

For more information, call Stan Cogdill (828) 734-7126 or David Jones (828) 648-0416.
To mail in your checks and/or player list:
  AG Cogdill Scholarship Fund
  c/o Stan Cogdill
  345 Allens Creek Road
  Waynesville, NC 28786

The family and friends of Anthony Cogdill wish to thank everyone in our communities and state that have helped to make this tournament possible.

In other FORS news, I have had the honor to speak to several groups over the past couple of months. In April, I was invited by McDowell County Fire Marshall David Pruitt, to speak to several of his county’s agencies. Although the turnout was not what David had hoped for, we were able to get our message out and we look forward to another trip to McDowell. Earlier this month, I was invited by Barnardsville Fire Chief Kevin Mundy to speak to the Buncombe County Firefighters Association. Thank you for the warm welcome and support. We had some wonderful things come out of that presentation, including an invitation by Kermit Tolley for FORS to be a part of the Buncombe County Emergency Services Appreciation Day.

In addition, as a result of the BCFA presentation, I received an exciting e-mail from Black Mountain Deputy Chief Steve Jones. Here is what his e-mail said…”On Thursday this week [July 17th] 100 employee’s of the town will receive the flyer about the new law changes on July 1, and on June 1st everyone that gets a Black Mountain water bill will have a message on it that reads “Move Over and Slow Down on the Highway it is the law.” Thank you so much Steve for supporting our efforts!

What Deputy Chief Steve Jones did could EASILY be done in the communities you live in. Could I take the time to call each and every town to ensure your safety? No, I can’t, but YOU can. We are all in this together. Take the responsibility for the men and women who work for you and make the call. PLEASE, let’s not wait for another tragedy to prompt our efforts. Mark down a date and time on your calendars to work on this, make sure it is this week. If you wait, you won’t do it. If you can’t take the time, then delegate it to someone who can. Towns and counties alike send out bills from water, sewer to taxes and more. What about paycheck stubs? We just want a small space on each bill that reads: When approaching a STOPPED Emergency or Public Service Vehicle: If possible, Move Over to the next lane. If not possible, Reduce Speed and be prepared to stop. Our lives depend on it.

As always, help protect those who protect us. The life you save may be your own.