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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (June 21, 2018)
6 community news june21 2018 Lack of Fire Volunteers Carbon Monoxide - The Silent Killer Local resident helps bring aware- Prior to calling her on the phone he had Critical continued from page 3 ness after tragedy two years ago Two years ago Elana Brasure lost the love her life, Daryl Tuttle, to carbon monox- ide (CO) poisoning. Daryl was also a father and grandfather figure, a son, a brother, an uncle, and a friend to many. A carbon mon- oxide detector might have saved Daryl’s life. “It’s an important message for me to help spread,” said Brasure in a recent inter- view, “because it can affect anybody.” CO is colorless, tasteless, and odor- less, and is often referred to as the “silent killer” because it is virtually undetectable by humans. Elevated levels of CO can be dan- gerous to humans depending on the amount present and length of exposure. About 170 people in the United States die every year from carbon monoxide produced by non-automotive consumer prod- ucts. These products include malfunctioning fuel-burning appliances such as furnaces, ranges, water heaters, and gas and kero- sene room heaters; engine-powered equip- ment such as portable generators; and fire- places and wood stoves. Brasure says Daryl was camping in the family motor home in February 2016. turned on the heater in the RV. When he fin- ished talking with her he went inside to sleep and never woke up. “What is important to me is that peo- ple are aware of the danger,” says Brasure. “People need to check the gas lines in their motor homes, travel trailers, and campers. Install a CO detector in their RV because it can save the lives of their families, because you can’t see it, you can’t smell it, and you can’t taste it, and then it’s too late. I had been talking with him just 15 minutes before the medical examiner said he died. It was that quick and he was totally unaware.” CO detectors are available for pur- chase in local hardware stores and other re- tail outlets, and come in a variety of styles and price ranges, starting at about $30. “It’s been two years but I still find myself expecting him to pull in the drive- way,” says Brasure. “Losing someone so suddenly and unexpectedly changes every- thing. Life has been so hard without him, so if I can help save even just one person’s life, that would mean the world to me and my family. I just want to save another family from going through this like we did.” scenarios in order to limit travel for volunteers. Smith says Oregon has loosened some requirements allow- ing a volunteer to train to just drive an emergency vehicle and run the water pump, giving rural fire dis- tricts the ability to recruit volunteers who don’t have to go through all the firefighting training. “There has been some movement at the legis- lative level in an effort to fix this,” says Smith. With so many older homes in the community, most dwellings don’t have any kind of fire suppres- sion or sprinkler systems installed, which makes many homes vul- nerable to fire. “During new con- struction, we have been trying to encourage homeowners to install a sprinkler system,” says Steinweg. “Otherwise we stress having an es- cape plan in place that your family practices and understands.” VRFPD is considering sev- eral options as ways to increase the number of firefighters who respond to calls. One possibility is to con- struct some type of living quarters at the station and create an out-of- district volunteer program or an in- ternship program. Steinweg says he and Chief Smith are also working on teaching a high school class the lo- cal students could take for duel high school and college credits through Portland Community College. “All these programs are a real process to put together,” says Steinweg. “Our volunteers and our paid staff can only run calls and respond to emergencies, and put the community first while neglecting our families and our personal lives for so long, before it starts to take a real toll,” says Smith. “Our goal is to always do what we can to help, but the key part of that is ‘what we can...’” Vernonia’s Voice is published twice each month on the 1st and 3rd Thursday. Look for our next issue on July 5. On the Shelves By Shannon Romtvedt Checking in from the Vernonia Library to let you know the new carpet is in, books back on the shelves, doors open, and we are starting in on a summer full of activities. Thank you so much to our 28 volunteers who put in over 100 volunteer hours to help us move out and back in for new carpet. Thank you to the Freewheelers Club, Easley Custom Builders, LLC, and City staff for all the heavy lifting. Once again we have a fun Summer Reading program for kids, ages 0-14. The theme this year is: Libraries Rock! Sign-ups have started and we have 83 kids signed up only 3 days into the program! The Vernonia Lions Club this year is supporting the Library and Summer Reading program by donating eight family memberships to Out-of City Limit library users. The household fee for using the Library if you live outside the city limits is $25. If your family lives outside the city limits and wants to try out using the library, this opportunity is for you. Thank you to the Lions Club for encouraging the use of the Library through this sponsorship. The Library is offering a new series of programs this summer, thanks to a summer grant sponsored by the Columbia County Cultural Coalition. Crystal Tabaldo of Laika Studios will be coming to the Library on Thursday, June 21, 1 pm, to teach kids about flip book animation, with an opportunity to make their own flip book. On Thursday, July 26, 1 pm, Library volunteer Amy Ragan will be offering a one day puppetry workshop. Kids get to make their own puppets to take home and will learn some puppetry skills. And in August (Tuesdays, August 14 and 21, 1 pm), Crystal Tabaldo will be coming back to the Library to teach Lego Stop Motion Animation. The Lego Animation workshop is two- part and children must be entering 3 rd grade to participate. For the Puppetry Workshop and the Lego Stop Motion Workshop, register through the Library by calling (503) 429-1818. Thank you to the Community 101 Leadership Class for presenting a $900 grant to the Library to fund Summer Reading award books and our Border Collie International performer. Greg Gustafson will be coming to Vernonia with his team of rescued border collies to entertain kids and families with stunts and tricks. This event will be held at Hawkins Park on Tuesday, July 17, 6:30 pm. So come to the Library this summer and see what we have to offer! We look forward to having you. Upcoming Summer Events Summer Reading 2018: Libraries Rock! For children, birth through age 14. Receive a free book, book bag (one per family), and Oregon State Fair tickets. Return your reading time log between July 23 and August 11 to enter prize drawings and earn a free ticket to the Oregon Zoo. Summer Meals Book Giveaway Friday, June 22, 11:30 am - 1 pm at the Summer Meals site. Everyone ages 0-18 coming to the Summer Meals program gets to choose a free book to start off the summer with some good reading! Sponsored by All Together Now. Red Yarn: Folk Music and Puppetry craft at 11 am. Monday and Friday storytimes will resume in September Tuesday, June 26, 6:30 pm Andy Ferguson “Red Yarn” weaves folksongs and puppetry into high energy shows for all ages. Red Yarn released his fifth album in April 2018, Red Yarn’s Old Barn. Did You Know? Membership Passes Family Movie Night Thursday, June 28, 6 pm Enjoy a free movie and popcorn at the Library. Featuring Flushed Away (PG, 85 min.) Oregon Rocks! Thursday, July 12, 3 pm Geology event with the Museum of Natural and Cultural History. Geared toward families with elementary age children. Interactive displays, activities, and information. With your library card, you can check out a pass to visit Rice Rock Museum, OMSI, Hillsboro Shute Park Aquatic Center, or the Oregon Historical Society Museum and Research Center for Free! Reserve a day to pick up the pass by calling the Library (503) 429-1818. Number of people admitted is specific to each pass. Membership passes check out for 2 days and must be checked out by an adult. Featured Titles: Staff Recommends Thursday, June 21, 6-7:30 pm 3 rd Thursday of every month. For writers with all levels of experience. Meetings are now back at the Library. Aside from new books, the Library features staff recommendations and a display we call “Hidden in the Stacks” to highlight interesting stories and unique titles. Currently recommended by staff: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas selected by Jamie Adams; The Girls of Atomic City by Denise Kiernan selected by Shannon Romtvedt. Staff and volunteers have diverse reading tastes, so you never know what might pop up as a recommendation. We also appreciate patron recommendations and add them to our displays. Book Discussion Group Library Closures Last Monday of every month, 5:30 pm. Discussion for June 25: The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald Wednesday, July 4 for Independence Day Border Collie International Tuesday, July 17, 6:30 pm at Hawkins Park. Traveling dog show with rescued border collies. Sponsored by the Community 101 Leadership Grant. Ongoing Programs Writer’s Group Storytimes Summer Family Storytime Wednesdays, 10:45 am, June 20 - August 22. Snack served at 10:45 am provided by the Summer Meals Program. Followed by stories and a Hours & Contact Info Mon, Wed, Fri 10 am - 5 pm Tues & Thurs 1 pm - 7 pm Sat 10 am - 4 pm Closed Sundays Phone: (503) 429-1818 E-mail: library@vernonia-or.gov
