Page A2
Protecting Our Children
From Lead Poisoning
(Ohseminy,
by
Vancouver Seeks Volunteer
Firefighters
In keeping with a tradition o f
volunteerism in the fire service, the
Vancouver Fire Department (VFD)
is conducting a recruitment to till 15
volunteer firefighter positions. Dead
line for applications is June 30.
“Volunteer firefighters area valu
able asset to the Vancouver Fire
Department and to the entire com
munity,” says division C hief Ron
Oliver. “Our goal is to deliver trained
back-up support to the line lirefighters
during emergencies. These men and
women are an important community
asset and we are prepared to make an
investment in their training.”
There will be a competitive pro
cess for filling the 15 openings. Cer
tain requirements must be met in
cluding: residing within the area
served by the Vancouver Fire De
partment, minimum ageof20, ability
to pass both written and physical
ability tests, and attendance at a train
ing school. In addition, all new vol
unteer firefighters are required to
attend training on a regular Monday
evening schedule throughout the year.
A lo n g w ith b a c k in g -u p line
firefighters during emergency re
sponse situations, the volunteers also
support the department by delivering
public education programs, such as
teaching CPR and first aid classes.
Primary functions o f the position
include extinguishing fires, salvage
and overhaul, ventilation and rescue,
and assistance in performing em er
gency medical treatment.
Testing will take place in mid-
July. For an application packet, con
tact the VFD at 892-4323.
The VFD is the fourth largest fire
department in Washington. It serves an
area of about 100 square miles and
186,000people. Firefighters responded
toover 13,000emergency medical cal Is
and 3500 fire calls las, year.
Clark County Takes Action
Against Bad Checks
The Clark County Prosecutor’s
Office has reinstated its NSF Check
Diversion Program to help businesses
recover losses on bad checks valued
at less than $250. This special ser
vice is available free to all businesses
located in the county, unincorporated
areas and cities alike.
As in the past, checks involving
felony conduct, which includes forg
eries and drafts o f more than $250,
are referred for investigation to the
appropriate law enforcement agency.
“Our goal is to ensure restitution
to local businesses and promote re
sponsible check w riting,” says Clark
County Prosecutor Art Curtis. “We
also help businesses protect them
selves from accepting questionable
checks in the first place.”
Education is a big component o f
the program. Classes are held for bad-
check writers to promote responsible
behavior. The unit also teaches busi
nesses how to protect themselves from
bad checks by taking precautions, such
as asking for a driver’s license or
other picture identification.
“There has been a lot o f interest in
the business community about rein
stating this program," says coordina
tor Debbie Garvin. "It was originally
eliminated in 1995 due to budget
cuts.”
This time around, the program is a
joint effort between the County and
the City o f Vancouver. Garvin is
based ou, o f the Adult Diversion area
o f the Clark County Prosecuting
A ttorney’s Office, which supports
the program by providing 25 hours
o f her time a week, office space, and
computer equipment. Other partners
provide funding and staffing help,
including the Clark County Sheriff’s
Office, Vancouver Police Depart
ment, City Attorney, and Clark Col
lege.
Career Exploration and Job Fair
Clark County Com m unity Ser
vices, in collaboration with public
and private sector partners, intro
duces a sum m er career exploration
and jo b fair. This event is designed to
bring together employers and pro
spective employees.
Date: June 17, 1998
J L N E lü , 1998
(The JJortLauò ^W arm er
Venue: The Water Resources Edu
cation Center
4600 SE Columbia Way,
Vancouver
Time: 9:00AM-4:00PM
T his is a com m unity service
event, adm ission is free to the pub
lic and there is free parking. Inter
P O L IC E
ested em ployers can still p a rtic i
p a te . P le a s e c o n ta c t D a v e
R ic h a rd so n , at the S o u th w e st
W a s h in g to n P riv a te In d u s try
C ouncil, by Friday, June 12, 1998,
to reserve a table and display area.
There is no cos, to participating
em ployers.
L ore W intergreen
NEW S
F
u
The Beaverton Police Department,
in cooperation with Crime Stoppers,
I is asking for your help in identifying
and apprehending a subject respon
sible for passing thousands o f dollars
in bad checks.
Using the name Elliott Simpson,
with a date o f birth o f June 9, 1969,
the subject obtained fraudulent iden
tification in both Oregon and Wash
ington. The identification was then
used to open a checking account.
During a five-day period in early
March, the suspect was responsible
soning is one o f the m ost com m on
childhood diseases, and children
o f co lor are m ore often its victim s.
Portland is no different.
Lead poisoning can effect any
one, as it is an environm ental is
sue. It is an environm ental ju stice
issue because A frican A m erican
and L atino(a) children in O regon
are three tim es m ore likely than
th eir w hite counterparts to be poi
soned by lead.
As a practical m atter, preven
tion is the only realistic "cu re” for
lead poisoning. A vailable m edi
cal treatm ents are expensive and
painful, do no, com pletely rem ove
all lead from the body, and are
pow erless to undo brain dam age.
B lood lead testing and follow
up are essential. You have to be
assertive in dem anding that your
children get this test. C hildren in
N orth/N ortheast Portland should
be getting the test at 1 year and 2
years old. Ify o u children are older
than 2, but less than 6 years old
and have no, been tested, have
them tested as soon as possible. If
you d o n ’t have insurance o r are
not on the O regon H ealth Plan,
c o n ta c t L o re w ith th e U rb an
L eague o f Portland a, 280-2662 or
Josiah Hill with Physicians For
Social R esponsibility a, 274-2720
for free testing.
If someone in your family tests
between 10-19 micrograms per deci
liter, call Lore for information. Mult
nomah County Health Department
will automatically follow up with
those people testing 20 and above.
T here are som e free program s
and resources available in our com
Lead is a m etal that can b e
com e a pow erful poison that stays
in your body a long tim e. U nfor
tunately, a little goes a long way.
The prim ary cause o f lead p o i
soning now is lead based paint in
hom es built before 1950. T hough
hom es painted until 1978 have
significant lead in the paint that
can cause poisoning, household
paint that is d eteriorating and cre-
a tin g d u st an d c h ip s can be
breathed in o r eaten. Y oung c h il
dren are esp ecially at risk (think
o f the num ber o f tim es your to d
d ler p u ts th e ir hands in th e ir
m outh). Y et, unless lead paint is
rem oved w ith safety precautions,
renovations on o ld er hom es can
create an even higher d an g er o f
poisoning.
A child w ith lead poisoning as
low as 10 m icrogram s per d e c il
iter may not show any visible
sym ptom s. N oticeable sym ptom s
m ight look like flu or headaches.
Even at this low level, lead causes
serious and long term health pro b
lem s such as: brain and nervous
system dam age, hearin g p ro b
lem s, heart disease and kidney
dam age. A, higher levels o f lead
in blood, you can suffer such se
vere things as blindness, seizures,
com a and death.
W e know that children with
neuro behavioral problem s such
as A ttention D eficit, inability to
concentrate, an d /o r hyperactivity
are m ore likely to have d ifficulty
learning in school and to e x p e ri
ence social problem s. In fact, as
adults, those w ith a crim inal h is
tory are m ore likely to have had a
history o f lead poisoning. T hus,
the im pacts o f lead poisoning can
be life altering.
M ost people d o n ’t even know
about the effects and sources o f
lead poisoning, how can w e be
expected to protect ourselves from
som ething we d o n ’t even know is
dangerous. Y et, lead poisoning
is preventable.
In the U nited States, lead poi
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Metro Recycling Information
234-3000
d
Real people.
Fast, helpful answers.
Six days a week.
for passing approximately $ 14,000 in
fraudulent checks.
The suspect is described as a
black male, approximately 30 years
o f age, 5 ’ 10" tall, w eighing 200
pounds with short black hair and J
brown eyes.
Crime Stoppers if offering a cash
reward o f up to $ 1,000 for informa
tion, reported to Crime Stoppers,
which leads to an arrest in this case or
any unsolved felony crime, and you
can remain anonymous. Call Crime
Stoppers a, (503) 823-HELP.
Tip of the week: Don't call it "trash"
before you call us.
Remodeling?
j M etro has a database of business that
recycle and salvage w ood, roofing material,
plumbing, paint and more. Call 234-3000
i for inform ation.V isit M etro’s web site at:
w w w .m etro-region.org
In ju r y
The Portland Police Bureau Traf
fic Division, in cooperation with Crime
Stoppers, is asking for your help in
determining the circumstances sur
rounding a serious injury accident that
took place on Tuesday, May 27.1998.
On that date at 4:30 in the after
noon at NE 6th and Broadway, Port
land Police officers attempted to stop
a red Chevrolet Camaro with a loud
stereo. Instead o f stopping, the car
sped off with officers in pursuit. As
the car sped southbound on NE Mar
tin Luther King Jr Boulevard, offic
ers discontinued the pursuit because
o f heavy traffic and erratic driving by
the operator o f the Camaro.
The Camaro conti nued sou th bound
on MLK at a high rate o f speed, and
turned eastbound onto NE Davis
Street. Arriving at NE 12 th and Davis,
the officers found that the Camaro
had struck another ear, seriously in
juring the driver o f that vehicle, and
then punched a hole in the wall of
Portland Bottling company, where the
Camaro burst into flames. The driver
fled from the vehicle, but was caught
and held by an employee o f Portland
Bottling.
The driver, identified as 27-year-
old Travis Scott Calhoun, v/as ar
rested on charges relating to the acci
dent and outstanding warrants.
If you have information, call C rime
Stoppers at (503) 823-HELP.
Themes define youth day camp
The Vancouver Clark Parks and Recreation will offer a Youth Day Camp a, Marshall Center, 1009 E. McLoughlin
Blvd. The camp runs June 29-August 28 from 7 am to 6 pm.
This program offers working parents an alternative to daycare and a positive recreational experience for children
6-12 years old. The Youth Day Camp consists o f nine weeks o f activities, with each w eek’s activities centering on a
theme.
This year’s them es are:
June 29-July 2
Stars and Stripes
August 3-7 Masterpiece Art Works
July 6-10
Down Under
August 10-14 Wild, Wild We,
July 13-17
W orldly Wonders
August 17-21 Spaced Out
July 20-24
Play that Funky Music August 24-28 Mini Masters
July 27-31
Enchanted Adventures
There are four different fee options:
Fee Option A:
7 am-6 pm
$120.50
(in/city $96.25)
Fee Option B:
8 am-5 pm
8:30 am-5:3O pm $98.50 (in/city $78.75)
Fee Option C:
8:30 am -4:30 pm
8 am-4 pm
$87.50
(in/ci,y $70)
Fee Option D:
9 am-4 pm
$76.75
(in/city $61.25)
Registration fees are per week. Registration is limited to the first 65 children on a firs, come first serve basis. Register
a, Bagley Com m unity Center, 4100 Plomondon. Call 360-696-8065 for more information.
m unity now so it is a good tim e to
find out if you need help (please
see the related 'R e so u rc e s’ box).
It’s im portant for us to try to
protect our children from ever
getting lead poisoning. P revent
ing lead poisoning requires ag
gressive efforts to stop lead ex
posure before people are p o i
soned. W hile aggressive lead
poisoning prevention program s
have begun in other states, there
currently is neither a com prehen
sive plan nor adequate funding to
elim inate lead poisoning in O r
egon.
We know that to effectively ad
dress lead poisoning we must come
together to identify issues, needs,
available resources and gaps. Pro
tecting children from lead poisoning
will require that we work together.
Y our perspective and voice is
needed. The powers that be are not
going to do much o f anything about
this unless we make them do some
thing. Come to our planning meet
ing on Monday, June 1 5 ,1998 from
6-8:30 pm at the urban League o f
Portland, Shelton Hill Conference
Room, at 10 North Russell Street.
RSVP to Lore wintergreen at the
Urban League o f Portland at 280-
2662. She will also provide you
with updated information on lead
poisoning: effects, sources, self-help
and community efforts. Ifyou need
child care, a ride, or translation as
sistance let Lore know at least a
week in advance.
Please note that the building is
wheel chair accessible. Everyone is
encouraged to bring food or bever
age to share.
Call M etro Recycling Inform ation
when you need inform ation about:
•
•
•
•
•
•
recycling and reuse options
garbage disposal
ways to prevent waste
com posting and natural gardening
safer alternatives for home and garden
hazardous waste disposal
M etro Recycling Inform ation is open
8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. M onday through
Saturday. Call us for a free refrigerator
magnet so you’ll always have our
num ber handy.
M e tro Regional Services
Creating livable communities
Metro is working to ensure that we have access to nature, clean air and water and resources for future
generations. Waste prevention and safe disposal are ways you can create a more livable community.
L