All general news stories will be filed under this category.
It’s holiday time, and that would usually mean family gatherings. However, like the rest of 2020, some changes may be happening this year.
With so much information coming at us every day, having a resource to reference when you have questions is important. The state has such a resource for us to use: https://coronavirus.wa.gov/
Stay updated with the latest health information and stay safe this holiday season.
TEXT TO 9-1-1 is available in Thurston County! While this can be a useful tool in certain situations, this is not meant to be a replacement for calling 911 in an emergency. TEXT TO 9-1-1 is more meant to aid responders in specific situations such as:
Looking for more information? Click here.
Please be aware that there is a new scam going on. This scam consists of someone hacking into your Facebook/Messenger site. They are texting messages to friends in your Facebook account. They seem to be targeting retired folks as they are telling you about a government assistance program to help pay your bills. They send you a “personal” phone number to an unknown attorney general and want you to call it. Please disregard such messages and let the person know someone has hacked into their account.
When an emergency happens, seconds count. Every home should have a plan in place, especially in case of a fire. If your home is a single story, it could be as simple as going out a window. But what if your only way out of a two story home was through a window on the upper floor?
Smoke can make it hard to see and breathe, and you can easily become disoriented in your own home. A safe, quick escape is crucial and a fire escape ladder can help you with that.
Check out this video for information on choosing, installing, and testing a fire escape ladder for your home.
Two Los Angeles police officers are recovering in hospital after being shot in what police are calling an ambush.
Video of the incident shows a figure approach the officers’ vehicle, before opening fire and running away.
Los Angeles Sheriff Alex Villanueva called the act “cowardly”. The suspect remains at large.
Click here to read the full article from the BBC.
The SE Thurston Fire Authority would like to applaud two of our firefighters: Joshua Burkhardt and Jeremy McLellan. Burkhardt and McLellan were mobilized to the Lake Palmer area to assist with the fire in the area. Their hard work helped to save a family’s home and we would like to share the message of thanks they sent us.
James and Monika Sturdivant live on Palmer Lake. On August 21st of this year, they were told by the fire marshall that they needed to evacuate the area due to the encroaching fire. The Sturdivants evacuated to a safe place. From where they were staying, James said that they could see the flames spreading close to where they knew their house was.
Having been told by the fire marshall that the responders were short-handed, they returned to their home early the next morning, prepared for the worst. When they arrived, however, they found their house safe and intact with one of SE Thurston Fire Authority’s trucks parked between the house and the fire.
The Sturdivants sent their thanks for Joshua Burkhardt and Jeremy McLellan. Their actions helped save this family’s home.
As the weather has gotten warmer and with schools out for summer, the number of children injured falling out of windows has risen significantly.
Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital in Tacoma has seen a significant rise in the number of such falls over the past month. There have been 25 children that have been treated for falling from a window by Mary Bridge’s emergency department so far this year.
Nine of those treated were hurt in July. Mary Bridge has not had any fatalities stemming from window falls so far this year.
Read more on the Tacoma News Tribune.
From Nisqually Valley News:
A strong blaze tore through a single-story home in Rainier Thursday morning.
Firefighters with Southeast Thurston Fire Authority responded to dispatch of a fully-engulfed house fire about 5:30 a.m. The house was located off Plum Nelly Lane, according to dispatch notes.
Nobody was occupying the house when the fire broke out, Southeast Thurston Fire Authority Chief Mark King said.
Summer is the time of year for swimming. Everyone knows this. However, Washington has one thing that should cause people to be more cautious: warm weather but cold waters. More than 3,700 Americans drowned in 2017, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with more than 700 of them under the age of 14.
In Washington during 2018, the drowning deaths rate per 100,000 was 1.1.
About one in five people who die from drowning are children 14 and younger. For every child who dies from drowning, another five receive emergency department care for nonfatal water injuries, the government health agency says.
Additionally, the CDC says drowning is a leading cause of injury death for young children ages 1 to 14.
One problem with drowning situations is that they don’t look like the dramatic scenes depicted in movies, and the process can happen incredibly quickly. Children can drown right in front of adults, and multiple people can drown in relatively shallow pools without knowing how to swim.
Washington has its own unique challenge: while the weather is warm, the water in the Puget Sound can stay very cold. It’s easy for swimmers jumping straight in to go into shock, so health officials say always check the water temperature, or choose to swim in a pool if possible.
Before people drown, they may be able to signal distress — but in many cases, they’re unable to call for help.
Here are five tips for recognizing drowning, as originally published in the Coast Guard’s On Scene magazine:
Here are six tips provided by PoolSafely.gov to help ensure that swimming pools stay safe:
Have fun out there, but SE Thurston Fire Authority wants to remind everyone to be safe.
Originally posted on patch.com.
Although alcohol-based hand sanitizers can help prevent the transmission of COVID-19, the liquid solutions – most of which contain isopropyl alcohol – are flammable and can cause burn injuries, the Mechanical Contractors Association of America is warning workers.
In a May 1 safety memo, the association describes an incident in which a worker suffered first- and second-degree burns to the hands after using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer and then touching a metal surface before the liquid evaporated. “Due to static electricity, the vapor from the hand sanitizer ignited with an almost invisible flame on both hands,” the memo states.
The Virginia Department of Labor and Industry issued a similar warning, saying workers should act with caution when using these products.
“A best practice to protect employees from this hazard includes waiting to let the sanitizer fully absorb into the skin or evaporate prior to returning to work,” Jennifer L. Rose, consultation director of the Virginia Occupational Safety and Health Program at the state’s DOLI, told Safety+Health. “Isopropyl alcohol is highly flammable and can easily ignite. Vapors may form explosive mixtures with air, traveling to a source of ignition and flash back. It is not really the liquid burning – it is the vapors that catch fire.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the use of hand sanitizers with at least 60% alcohol against SARS-CoV-2 – the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 – particularly on jobsites where soap and water aren’t readily available. MCAA identifies construction worksites and mechanical service areas as high risk for burn injuries related to hand sanitizers.
Potential causes of ignition on a jobsite, Rose said, include:
“Isopropyl alcohol should be kept away from heat, sparks, flames and other sources of ignition, as well as strong oxidizers, acetaldehyde, chlorine, ethylene oxide, acids and isocyanates,” Rose said. “Isopropyl alcohol should be stored in a tightly closed container in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area. Hand sanitizer in quantities above 5 gallons should be stored in a flammable liquids cabinet or in areas protected by an automatic sprinkler system.”
Originally posted on Safety & Health, the official magazine of the National Safety Council.
