”Don’t Let Alcohol Force You Out of the Game Be sure to include a designated driver in your starting lineup this weekend!”

While we encourage everyone to have fun cheering for their favorite team – or watching for their favorite commercial ad – please do so in a safe and responsible way. This is why the law enforcement and EMS agencies, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is teaming with the National Football League (NFL) and Techniques for Effective Alcohol Management (TEAM) Coalition to help endorse the very important safety message of not drinking and driving to all NFL fans.

If you are preparing to consume alcohol while you watch the game, we suggest that you do it sensibly, by handing over your keys to a “sober” designated driver. Anyone drinking during the games should make sure they have a designated driver plan to make sure they get home safe. Their plan may mean calling a friend, or calling a cab for a ride home.

In 2010, over 10,000 people were killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes that involved at least one driver or motorcycle rider with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher.   The average cost for a DUI ticket is $8,000 to $10,000 or more!  A cab ride is much cheaper!

We are also asking all party hosts to discourage their guests from drinking and driving. Take the keys from guests who plan on drinking. Make that extra effort to be sure that everyone who will be drinking has assigned a sober designated driver. That you are serving more food than booze, and have plenty of non-alcoholic beverages available as well. Remember – coffee does not sober people up.

We want everyone to make the right decision for this weekend – don’t let a day of fun end in tragedy. Expect extra law enforcement to be patrolling our roadways. If you happen to see a drunk driver on the road, don’t hesitate to contact your local law enforcement by calling 9-1-1!   NFL Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk.

Shortly after 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, January 4, 2012, there was a mobile home fire in the 700 block of S. Second Street in El Cajon.  Upon arrival crews from Heartland Fire & Rescue found a mobile filled with smoke.  The owner, an elderly female, escaped unharmed, but her dog, “Mojo” a female Chihuahua, was found lifeless inside the mobile home.  Heartland Fire & Rescue in El Cajon firefighter/paramedic Brendan Saffer brought the dog out, and fellow firefighter/paramedic Travis Timmins started oxygen.  He kept trying to revive the little dog, and after about 10 minutes, Mojo started breathing on her own! She was reunited with her owner for a few minutes and then taken to a local vet for treatment of smoke inhalation. The Doctor says Mojo is doing very well, thanks to Brendan and Travis!

Update: On January 9, 2012, we were notified by the PETA office in Norfolk, Virginia, that Heartland Fire & Rescue would be receiving the Compassionate Fire Department Award in recognition of the above rescue.

CERT Drill at Parkyway Plaza El Cajon

Are you prepared for a disaster?  Earthquake or firestorm? Consider attending a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) academy.

The  CERT Program educates people about disaster preparedness and the hazards that may impact the area they live. These FREE CERT lessons will train you in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. Using the training taught in the classroom and during drill exercises, CERT members will be better prepared to also assist others in their neighborhood or workplace following a disaster or other unexpected event when professional responders are not immediately available.

Check with the San Diego Office of Emergency Services for more CERT programs around the county.

Read on for more information on what to bring to these “free” disaster preparedness training classes once you are registered.

• For the first class please bring your own 1-1/2″ binder to the class for your CERT manual.  Bring a pencil and pen for note taking.
• Dress casually – certain classes may get you a little dirty – we’ll let you know which. Please, always wear sturdy shoes or wear tennis shoes – NO opened toed shoes, flip-flops or sandals please.
• Please bring a pair for good work gloves to the 4th class
• Please bring your own snacks/food & beverages. (like coffee, juice or water)
• Our classes are taught by members of Heartland Fire & Rescue – serving El Cajon, la Mesa and Lemon Grove, and Santee Fire Departments.
• Please Note – our classes have been in big demand and are open to those serious about being prepared for a disaster, so if you register – please show up. If you have registered for a class and find you cannot make it please call so someone else can take your place – thank you.

*When academies are full, please check with our local American Red Cross, they also offer “free” disaster preparedness classes.

Learn how to better protect yourself and your family.  These classes are free - but what you’ll learn is priceless!

• There are several other CERT programs available in the county! Click here – CERT Council for a complete list of other CERT programs.
• Lakeside Fire is also offering CERT Classes – click on the following link:  http://www.lakesidefire.net/lks_cert.php

*A Teen CERT program is also offered:

If you are interested in this training, the City of Julian will be providing this class as an ongoing program. This is an excellent opportunity to provide your community with trainers for the CERT/TEEN CERT program. We are excited to assist in any way we can. Contact Johhny and Diane Hake, CERT/TEEN CERT Julian/Cuyamaca at (760) 310-0976 or at (760) 310-0206. The American Red Cross also offers free training.

Prepare Now – San Diego County Has Combinef Emergency Websites

The San Diego County Office of Emergency Services has combined their three former individual websites (Ready San Diego, San Diego Emergency and San Diego Recovery) into one website.  The new website is: www.sdcountyemergency.com.  This website contains great information on preparedness, information during an emergency and information on recovery. During an emergency, the public will be directed to this website for information.  Sign
up for “Reverse 9-1-1.” Keep this website handy when a disaster occurs.

In addition:

• If you would like disaster preparedness information now – please visit 72hours.org or www.alertsandiego.org
• Most recent earthquake activity? Click here: http://pasadena.wr.usgs.gov/recenteqs/Quakes/quakes0.htm
• Additional Disaster Information: From Fed Health – FED HEALTH
  Disaster Supplies: American Red Cross – American Red Cross – San Diego
  *****************************************************************
  •CERT Team Members for a great Earthquake Drill held at New Frontier Mobile Home Community – See the article in the Union Tribune: East County CERT Holds Earthquake Drill June 19th, 2004
  *****************************************************************
  CERT is an excellent opportunity to learn many important life saving skills to better protect yourself, your family and your neighbors in the event of most disasters. This translates into saved lives and less panic.   CERT members also are encouraged to support emergency Take a look at the Los Angeles CERT Program:
  www.cert-la.com

Other CERT Programs:

• CERT San Diego Program Manager
  (619) 533-3075
  (program) CERT@sandiego.gov
  Fax:(619) 544-9351

Frequently Asked Questions About CERT

Q: How do CERT members maintain their skills?
A: CERT members and the sponsor work together to maintain team skills. It is suggested that the sponsor conduct refresher classes and an annual exercise where all CERT members are invited to participate. Some response agencies have conducted joint exercises with CERT team and operate as they would during an actual disaster. The last point does bring up a lesson learned. Besides training CERT members, it is also important to train members of response agencies about CERTs, the skills that teams have and the role that they will have during a major disaster. One way to develop this trust is by encouraging agency personnel to participate in classes as instructors and coaches and activities involving CERTs.

Understanding that CERTs may operate independently following a disaster. CERTs can practice this independence by taking some responsibility for their training. Teams can design activities and exercises for themselves and with other teams. Some members can be rescuers, some victims, and some evaluators. After the event, there can be a social so that teams get to know each other

Q: What if I want to do more than just the basic training?
A: CERT members may attend classes provided by the community agencies on animal care, special needs concerns, debris removal, utilities control, advanced first aid, Automatic External Defibrillator use, CPR skills, and others.

CERT members are a potential volunteer pool for the community. They can help with special projects like distributing preparedness material, staffing medical booths during special events, and assisting with installation of smoke alarms for seniors or special needs households. Some CERT members have sought additional training opportunities in shelter management, community relations, and donations management.

HOW DID CERT START?

1985: The idea to train volunteers from the community to assist emergency service personnel during large natural disasters began. In February of 1985, a group of Los Angeles City officials went to Japan to study its extensive earthquake preparedness plans. The group encountered an extremely homogenous society that had taken extensive steps to train entire neighborhoods in one aspect of alleviating the potential devastation that would follow a major earthquake. These single-function neighborhood teams were trained in either fire suppression, light search and rescue operations, first aid, or evacuation.

In September of 1985, a Los Angeles City investigation team was sent to Mexico City following an earthquake there that registered a magnitude 8.1 on the Richter scale and killed more than 10,000 people and injured more than 30,000. Mexico City had no training program for citizens prior to the disaster. However, large groups of volunteers organized themselves and performed light search and rescue operations. Volunteers are credited with more than 800 successful rescues; unfortunately, more than 100 of these untrained volunteers died during the 15-day rescue operation.

The lessons learned in Mexico City strongly indicated that a plan to train volunteers to help themselves and others, and become an adjunct to government response, was needed as an essential part of overall preparedness, survival, and recovery.

1986: The City of Los Angeles Fire Department developed a pilot program to train a group of leaders in a neighborhood watch organization. A concept developed involving multi-functional volunteer response teams with the ability to perform basic fire suppression, light search and rescue, and first aid. This first team of 30 people completed training in early 1986 and proved that the concept was viable through various drills, demonstrations, and exercises. Expansion of the program, however, was not feasible due to limited City resources, until an event occurred in 1987 that impacted the entire area.

1987: On October 1, 1987, the Whittier Narrows earthquake vividly underscored the threat of an area-wide major disaster, and demonstrated the need to expedite the training of civilians to prepare for earthquakes and other emergencies.

Following the Whittier Narrows earthquake, the City of Los Angeles took an aggressive role in protecting the citizens of Los Angeles by creating the Disaster Preparedness Division (now the Disaster Preparedness Unit) within the Los Angeles City Fire Department.

1993: The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) decided to make the concept and program available to communities nationwide. The Emergency Management Institute (EMI), in cooperation with the LAFD, expanded the CERT materials to make them applicable to all hazards.

2002: In January 2002, CERT became part of the Citizen Corps, a unifying structure to link a variety of related volunteer activities to expand a community’s resources for crime prevention and emergency response.

2004: As of January 2004, 50 states, three territories and six foreign countries are using the CERT training.

“It’s all about being prepared for a disaster!”

See this news release from CALFIRE officials:

http://www.fire.ca.gov/communications/downloads/newsreleases/2011/CarbonMonoxideDetectors.pdf

Carbon Monoxide Fact sheet:

http://www.fire.ca.gov/communications/downloads/fact_sheets/CarbonMonoxide.pdf

El Cajon Firefighter Rob Laatsch came to the realization that something needed to be done. He had been on too many calls where a child was hit by a car or had fallen off their bike and the only injury was to their head.  These are preventable injuries had they only been wearing a helmet.

The El Cajon Firefighter’s Association is working to reduce this problem in El Cajon. In conjunction with Trauma Research and Education Foundation and Safe Kids San Diego, 100 helmets were donated and are being distributed by the firefighters when they come across a child riding a bike, scooter, roller blades or skateboards without a helmet.   While firefighters can’t stop these incidents from happening, thanks to these donations, they can help prevent some of these serious injuries from occurring. The main goal of the project is to provide helmets to children who don’t have them. They are also having the children sign a pledge promising to always wear their new helmet.

These efforts have been a small step in getting helmets on every child in El Cajon. Firefighters are also asking for the public’s help to ensure kids are wearing a properly fitted and buckled helmet every time they ride a bike, scooter, skateboard, or roller skates. And remember to praise them for doing this – it just might save their life!

Note:  Parents should also wear safety helmets when riding with their children.  Parents are the number one role models for their children when it comes to safety.

News Conference: Tuesday – July 19^th, 2011

Time: 1:00 p.m.

Location: Fletcher Hills Park & Pool, located 2345 Center Place, El Cajon

The El Cajon Fire, Police and Recreation Departments, along with Rady Children’s Hospital, are teaming up for an urgent summer reminder on water safety!  In the past two weeks there have been two drownings in our City, both involving children 2 years of age and under.  There have been a total of five drownings in the county this year. 

Speakers include: Sue Cox, R.N., Rady Children’s Trauma Services Director, Jym Bridger, Firefighter-Paramedic for Heartland Fire & Rescue in El Cajon, and Barbara LaRussa, Head Guard/ Swim Instructor for the El Cajon Recreation Department.

Message: Safety experts say it takes less than 2 inches of water and a few seconds for a small child to drown. As your baby starts walking, lack of mobility and coordination puts them at risk of falling into water, including toilets, bathtubs, buckets of water, plastic wading pools, swimming pools, spas and ponds. By eliminating potential hazards you can help keep your baby safe in and around water, in and outside the home.  Proper supervision is key in preventing many of the 9-1-1 drowning calls received by our paramedic-firefighters.

Safety tips:Make sure your pool has four-sided fencing and a self-closing, self-latching gate to prevent a child from wandering into the pool area unsupervised. In addition, hot tubs should be covered and locked when not in use. Install a door alarm, a window alarm or both to alert you if a child wanders into the pool area unsupervised.  From the start, teach children to never go near or in water without an adult present, and parents/caregivers should learn CPR.

El Cajon Fire-Engineer Bill Thorn presents 9 year-old Keith Norton with a new bicycle at school assembly.

On Tuesday, June 14th,  members of Heartland Fire & Rescue , serving the City of El Cajon, made a very special presentation to a 9 year-old boy at Madison Avenue Elementary.

It was on the morning of June 3rd, 2011,  when Keith Norton, while riding his bike to school, was struck by an SUV and pinned under the vehicle.  El Cajon Police were first to arrive and calmed the very distraught young man.  Heartland Fire & Rescue arrived moments later, and using special rescue airbags, lifted the vehicle off the boy.  His bicycle helmet was credited for saving his life.

Firefighters, noticing his helmet and bicycle were badly damaged by the collision, bought the young boy a new bike, while El Cajon Police purchased a new helmet.  Once the injured young man was able to return to school, El Cajon Police and Firefighters presented him with the new bike and helmet at an assembly.

School Principal Michelle Hayes, held two assemblies that morning to allow El Cajon Police to talk to students about the importance of wearing helmets – and how Keith’s life was saved by the helmet he was wearing at the time of the collision.

This was the bicycle helmet the 9 year-old was wearing when he was hit by the SUV. Abrasions from his head hitting the ground, the other side had a tire tread mark.

Several Television News stations covered this major story in El Cajon, here is a link to the coverage by Channel 8:  http://www.cbs8.com/story/14905979/9-year-old-san-diego-boy-honored-for-wearing-life-saving-helmet

Coverage on 10 News: http://www.10news.com/news/28238279/detail.html

Coverage on NBC San Diego 7/39: http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Bike-Helmet-Saved-My-Life-Child-123847204.html

Police, and Firefighter/Paramedics all credit the child’s bicycle helmet for saving his life. The El Cajon Police Department’s Traffic Division is investigating this collision.  

When the child returns to school, El Cajon Police plan to present him with a new helmet at an assembly with fellow students to remind them of the importance of wearing helmets. 

Attached are pictures of the crash scene and pictures of the helmet showing abrasions on one side of the helmet and tire tread marks on the other side.  The pictures were taken by Deputy Fire Chief Rick Sitta.

With the devastation of Japan’s earthquakes on everyone’s mind it is appropriate that April is National Earthquake Awareness month.  Let’s take a moment to make sure we are all prepared for our next quake.

What should you do when the earth starts moving?

• If you are inside a building, Duck, Cover, and Hold.  Duck under a heavy desk, table, bench, or against inside walls.  Cover your head and neck with one hand.  Use the other hand to hold on to the table or desk above you and be prepared to move with it if the shaking causes it to move.  Stay away from glass, particularly windows and glass doors.
• If you are outside, move to an open area and away from buildings, street lights, trees, utility wires and other objects that could fall.
• If you are in an automobile, stop and stay in it until the shaking ends.  Avoid stopping near trees and power lines or on or under overpasses or bridges.

Stay Informed:

• Register your cell phones with Alert San Diego (www.readysandiego.org) to receive reverse 911 calls during emergencies.
• Listen to 600 AM KOGO for official emergency information

Your recovery from the emergency may greatly depend on your level of preparedness before the emergency happens. Take time now to prepare, visit www.heartlandfire.org, www.readysandiego.org, www.sdarc.org or www.elcajonfire.com for more preparedness tips.

####