SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, APRIL 1, 2017
B Y D AVE R OBINSON
Special to the Siuslaw News
F
ire drills are proven to save lives.
On Dec. 1,1958, at Our Lady Of
The Angels Catholic School, a
school fire in Chicago claimed the lives
of 92 children. The school was compli-
ant with all the laws and safety practices
at the time.
One reason so many lives were lost
was that students and teachers were
trapped on the second floor and no one
knew the best way out of the building.
Since then, routine fire drills in every
school across the country have taught
children what to do when the alarm
rings. When that happens, there is no
time for instruction, debate or second-
guessing. Every child in every school
knows exactly what to do and where to
go. As a result, there have been no
school-fire-related fatalities in the
United States for several decades.
Make a dry run
Sometime back, a tsunami drill was
held in our local area. When the sirens
sounded at the appointed time, hundreds
of people made their way to high
ground and to safe assembly points.
Organizers claimed it was a resound-
ing success because, just like the fire
drills, participants will know exactly
what to do when the real thing occurs.
There is a reason (and a requirement)
airlines go through those recitations
before every take-off. You know the
one, “Ladies and gentlemen, this is how
a seatbelt works, and in the unlikely
event of the loss of cabin pressure this
mask will drop down…” Seasoned fly-
ers always act bored and almost per-
turbed that they must endure this one
more time, but the truth is, those little
briefings save lives. When there is an
emergency landing, everyone already
knows where the exits are, everyone
knows how to open them and that there
will be a big, inflatable slippery slide to
safety.
Passengers know to put their own
mask on first, and then attend to the
children and others around them.
If a fire breaks out in your home in
the middle of the night, does your fami-
ly know the safest way to get out of the
house? Do you have a designated
assembly point outside so you know
immediately when everyone is present
and accounted for? It’s all about saving
lives and minimizing injury.
Fire drills and evacuation drills are all
a part of your plan. You may have the
most complete “kit” in your neighbor-
hood, but if you haven’t taken the time
to make a plan, your preparations may
all be in vain.
Backstreet Gallery
gives call to artists
COURTESY PHOTO
An example of this year’s art challenge, a shoe creation
by Backstreet artist Meredith Draper.
Artists are invited to let
their creative talents run wild
in Backstreet Gallery’s 2017
Community Challenge Show.
Pick up entry forms at the
gallery, 1421 Bay St.
Anything that can be worn
on the feet is the basis for this
fun art challenge. Shoes, flip-
flops, skates, boots — a pair of
anything that might be worn
on the foot.
Guidelines are on entry
forms, and all media is accept-
able, including paint, collage,
glue, etc.
The show will hang in the
month of June. Entry forms
are due May 15, but entries
won’t be due until June 4.
First Place winners of both
2-D and 3-D will receive a
month-long
display
in
November.
Musician to perform
house concert April 8
David Thomas Roberts
will be appearing in concert
as part of
K a t h y
Parsons’
h o u s e
concert
series on
Saturday,
April 8 at
7 p.m., in
COURTESY PHOTO
Florence
David Robert
at Sand-
Thomas
p i n e s
West.
Roberts is considered to be
a leading authority on rag-
time piano and is also a post-
modernist, Neo-Romantic
composer, pianist, painter
and poet.
Born in 1955, Roberts
began composing, painting
and writing at age eight.
His first serious composi-
tions date from 1971 and
reflect the influence of com-
posers Frederic Chopin, Erik
Satie, Scott Joplin and
Charles Ives.
Since then he has com-
posed over 140 solo piano
works as well as a variety of
chamber pieces, art songs,
choral music and electronic
works.
As a pianist he recorded
five LPs between 1978 and
1985, and has appeared on
some 20 CDs since, many of
them devoted to his own
compositions. His music has
been heard on the major
media venues of North
America, from ABC’s “Good
Morning
America”
to
National Public Radio’s “All
Things Considered” and
across Canada on CBC
Radio.
He also accompanied the
Oakland (CA) Ballet with
arrangements of Classic
Ragtime by Scott Joplin.
His eclectic suite for piano,
New Orleans Streets, (1981-
85) was hailed by historian Al
Rose in “ I Remember Jazz” as
the single most important con-
tribution to the culture of New
Orleans in the past fifty years.
His visual art has been fea-
tured in the international
Visionary/Outsider art maga-
zine, Raw Vision, and his
poetry appeared in the anthol-
ogy Another South, published
by University of Alabama
Press.
For more information
about the artist, visit www.
DavidThomasRoberts.com.
Reservations are required
and the address (Sandpines
West in Florence) and direc-
tions will be furnished at the
time reservations are made.
There is a suggested dona-
tion of $15 at the door.
Call Kathy at 541-999-
9720 or email her at kathypi-
ano@gmail.com to reserve
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
DISASTER PREP
11 A