Public Safety
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The Osceola County Board of Commissioners approved the purchase of new portable and dual band radios at a cost of $330,552 during its meeting Dec. 16, by a vote of 5-1. -
City Council is considering two options that would charge for paramedic care provided by the Monterey Fire Department when ambulance transport is needed. Some are concerned it would discourage people from calling 911.
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Gov. Bob Ferguson said he would request an expedited emergency declaration from the federal government, seeking to unlock federal resources and financial support, as flooding continues in Western Washington this week.
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A 2.3 magnitude quake was recorded near Kershaw Wednesday, said the USGS. That was the most recent of four area earthquakes, and the second in 2020. The other three occurred near Cayce, with some being felt in Columbia.
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In many ways, every natural disaster is the same: power failures, debris fields, rampant misinformation. Mix fear, haste and panic with well-intentioned people who aren’t equipped or empowered to help, and sometimes you get chaos.
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The 911 center is budgeted for 42 full-time employees, but often operates with fewer. To eliminate mandatory overtime, the center needs about 50 employees. A new contract for dispatchers includes raises of $3,000-$7,000 a year.
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The Vitals app will give police officers instant, critical information, including audio and video to show to the subject, on those vulnerable individuals who possess a Vitals beacon and come within 80 feet of an officer.
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The Houses of Worship: Targeted Disruption Tabletop Exercise Toolkit follows three previous guides to help plan for acts of aggression in various settings, including houses of worship, higher education, malls and businesses.
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Climate change is worsening the problem for coastal areas: Sea rise is soaking metal pipes in salty water, and flooding from frequent high tides pushes up through the ground, collecting that leaked sewage as it floods streets.
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The design and cost estimate of a new emergency management facility didn’t consider building standards specific to public safety/emergency operations/911 facilities, which will raise costs from $7 million to $10 million.
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A spokeswoman for the National Interagency Fire Center said 21 Idaho firefighters and fire management personnel from the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Indian Affairs have gone to Australia.
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At their Monday reorganization meeting, the supervisors approved the pay increase for two non-union, at-will employees this year. That hike matches the raise recently approved for 23 union members who work either in the township office or on the public works crew.
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Boynton's fire rescue department on Nov. 22 promoted Erick Joassaint to lieutenant, making him the city's first Haitian-American to gain the title. He is one of 29 lieutenants among the department's three shifts.
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Nevada was a distant second with a 733% increase, and New Mexico third, at 663%. Despite the headlines it has earned with apocalyptic megafires in recent years, California was ninth with an increase of 325%.
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The government invested heavily in the much-touted goal of predicting the arrival of the Tokai quake — an undertaking it effectively froze in 2017 with the implicit admission it had bitten off more than it could chew.
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Roughly 100 firefighters have been sent to Australia over the last four weeks, with 50 to 60 more planned to be dispatched Monday. At least sixteen of those firefighters have been sent from California where fires scorched thousands of acres across the state throughout the fall.
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The rare burst of storms near daybreak Monday flooded roads, submerged cars, stranded drivers and closed Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport for about three hours. Over 7 inches of rain fell in a few hours.
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The Vinal Technical High School in Connecticut recently opened its own Emergency Operations Center, which will be activated during real disasters from around the country and staffed by Vinal students.
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Gov. Cuomo announced a major disaster declaration for the 18 flood-affected counties. His office said the FEMA declaration validated state and local estimates of over $33 million in response costs and infrastructure damage.
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"Seas are rising faster in Rhode Island than the global average, and will continue to do so in the future," said a coastal geologist and a speaker for the Providing Resilience Education for Planning in Rhode Island program.
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The revised maps are based on years of researching weather patterns, erosion, land development and other factors, according to the federal agency. The studies included the first detailed analysis of the Pacific Coast in more than 30 years.
