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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 7, 2016)
Polk County News 2A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • December 7, 2016 Indy Rehab, Polk No. 1 team up for drill City, district search for financing By Emily Mentzer FallS CITy — Future funding sources for the Wagner Com- munity library in Falls City will be the topic of a joint meeting between the city and the school district on Thursday. Falls City City Council members and Falls City School Board members will meet at 6:30 p.m. at the Falls City Community Center, 320 n. main St. Polk County assessor Doug Schmidt will speak about form- ing a library district to collect tax money to keep the library open. It would require a tax rate of 26 cents per $1,000 of assessed value on properties to raise $10,000 within the city limits, ac- cording to assessor’s office. It would cost 12 cents per $1,000 to raise the same amount within the school district boundaries. an operating levy also may be discussed. For more information: 503-787-3631. The Itemizer-Observer INDEPENDENCE — Smoke poured from the In- dependence Health and Rehab facility on Nov. 30. The call came in at 6:55 p.m.: A fire had started in one of the resident’s room. Numerous vehicles and firefighters from Polk Coun- ty Fire District No. 1 re- sponded in minutes, located the source of the fire and ex- tinguishing it successfully in about 20 minutes. Residents were evacuated, while others were allowed to remain and shelter in place, said Neal Olson, deputy chief. But it was a drill. It was only a drill. Not all the firefighters knew it was a drill, and the community was concerned, Olson said. “Our plan was to start the scenario between 7:15 and 7:20 p.m.,” he said. “Howev- er, the actual call was re- ceived at 6:55 p.m. This did create a bit of a problem for public notification, since the scenario was over before I was able to place our ‘train- ing’ exercise road signs.” The drill was the first of its kind that Olson could re- member: A partnership be- tween the care facility and fire district. Olson was contacted by William Flumerflet, mainte- NEWS IN BRIEF Dallas PD to increase DUII patrols emIly menTzer/ Itemizer-Observer Polk County Fire District No. 1 participated in an unannounced drill with Independence Health and Rehab on the evening of Nov. 30. nance director for the facili- ty, and the drill was organ- ized in about two weeks. “We decided that we wanted this to be an unan- nounced drill, which in- creases the realism for the facility staff as well as our firefighters,” Olson said. “The facility manager, Terry Schneider, was in complete support of the exercise.” Schneider said the drill went great. “It was a marvelous learn- ing experience for our staff and the fire department,” she said. “We were pleased with our staff’s perform- ance.” The scenario was that a resident at the facility had gotten out of bed, dropped his bedding and pillows on the baseboard heater in his room, and left for dinner, Olson said. “We were able to simulate this with the use of a smoke machine that we use regu- larly for training, placed in the resident’s room,” he said. “The smoke machine acti- vated the alarm system, no- tifying the alarm company.” Firefighters worked with facility staff to evacuate resi- dents out of the building or to areas of refuge within the structure, Olson said. Overall, the drill was a success. “Although we would like to be faster, the alarm and sprinkler systems within the facility assist the firefighters by notifying us early and as- sisting with fire control prior to arrival,” Olson said. Schneider added that she hopes to hold these types of fire drills on an annual basis. “There is nothing better than training together with the ulterior motive of being able to provide a safer envi- ronment for all,” she said. DallaS — The Dallas Police Department has been awarded grant monies from Oregon Impact for increased enforcement for driving under the influence of intoxicants related offenses. The grant provides overtime funds to detect and arrest im- paired drivers. The goal of the grant is to have extra officers working on certain dates dedicated to detecting drivers who are under the influence of alcohol or controlled substances. Dallas police officers will complete several DuII enforce- ment and prevention projects over the next year using the awarded grant funds. Prevention is an important component of these projects. Dallas PD will announce when extra patrols are added in an effort to remind drivers of the legal risks of driving under the influence and encourage them to make other trans- portation arrangements. For more information: Senior Officer Dennis Shields at 503- 831-3516. For more information on Oregon Impact: oregonim- pact.org. Local officers graduate from DPSST Salem — The Oregon Department of Public Safety Stan- dards and Training announced the graduation of its 362nd Basic Police Class. among the graduates will be Dallas police officer Kyle Buch- holz and monmouth police officer Christopher lynch. The Basic Police Class is 16-weeks in length and includes dozens of training areas including survival skills, firearms, emergency vehicle operations, ethics, cultural diversity, prob- lem solving, community policing, elder abuse, drug recogni- tion, and dozens of other subjects. Basic Police Class 362 will graduate at the Oregon Public Safety academy at 4190 aumsville Highway Se in Salem on Fri- day at 11 a.m. with a reception immediately following. Indy PD to focus on impaired drivers InDePenDenCe —The Independence Police Department re- ceived a grant from Oregon Impact and the Oregon Depart- ment of Transportation Safety Division to pay for overtime pa- trols focusing on getting impaired drivers off the road. In november, seven arrests for driving under the influence of intoxicants were made by Independence police officers. Of those, five were for alcohol, one was for marijuana, and one was for driving under the influence of both alcohol and marijuana. Four of those arrests were also involved in vehicle collisions. “Four DuII contributing accidents is too many,” said Chief Bob mason in a press release. “Fortunately, none of the acci- dents were fatalities. It is our hope that highlighting the prob- lem through the media will help remind people to plan ahead and make good driving decisions this holiday season.” If you see a motorist operating unsafely, call 911 immediate- ly. The dispatcher will ask you for the location, direction of trav- el, license plate number and vehicle description. For more information: IPD, 503-838-1214. Windermere’s 2016 “Share the Warmth” Coat & Blanket Drive is coming up soon and this year we would like to get an early start on it! This year’s donation drive will start on Monday, November 7 and go until Friday, December 9. Seven Locations; Windermere – Monmouth; Windermere – Dallas; Monmouth Fitness; Les Schwab – Monmouth; Independence Library Les Schwab – Dallas; World Gym Or call if you would like a load of leaves delivered to your residence.
