Preparedness

With a fourth year of drought and spring temperatures climbing, Carson City residents are urged to be fire safe. May is Nevada Wildfire Awareness Month and as conditions continue to dry, and the number of windy days begin to increase, the potential threat of wildfire grows.

Protecting your home starts with you. The wildfire season is here. This Saturday and Sunday, the Carson City Fire Department will hold two events designed for homeowners to prepare for the season.

There will be a Community Open House, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Are you preparing for this year’s wildfire fire season? Protecting your home starts with you. The wildfire season is here. The month of May is Nevada Wildfire Awareness Month and as conditions continue to dry, temperatures start to rise and the number of windy days begin to increase across our area, the potential threat of wildfire increases.

The University of Nevada, Reno Police Services is planning a full-scale active assailant exercise from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, March 19.

The exercise will include agencies from across the region to test the Regional Active Assailant Response Protocol as well as the University’s Active Assailant Plan. With numerous community and regional partners participating, this drill will be the largest in the University’s history.

Carson City Fire Chief Stacey Giomi announced that he'll retire in early February of 2015, said Carson City Manager Nick Marano. Giomi is only the fourth paid fire chief in the city's history. He was hired Nov. 23, 1983 and became chief in 2005. He has been with the fire department for 31 years.

Giomi has accepted a position with Nevada Health Centers as their Director of Facilities and Emergency Preparedness. Nevada Health Centers is a federally qualified health center in Nevada and the largest primary care provider for the underserved and/or geographically isolated in the State.

Despite its location away from major population centers, a swarm of earthquakes in the far northwest corner of Nevada is attracting attention as it continues to rumble residents this week with several magnitude 3.0 earthquakes, a 4.0-magnitude earthquake on Nov. 21 and a magnitude 4.3 on Nov. 17.

Two 4.7 magnitude earthquakes and more than 50 3.0 or greater magnitude earthquakes mark an uptick in seismic activity one week after a 4.6 magnitude earthquake struck far northwest Nevada on Nov. 4, 2014. The activity in the past week is more than in previous months combined.

Miss Friday's free flu shot in Carson City? There's another planned for Saturday, Nov. 8 in Minden. Douglas County Emergency Management and Carson City Health and Human Services, along with several community partners, including the Douglas County Healthcare Coalition, are hosting the free drive-through flu vaccination clinic.

Citizens are invited to stop by the GE Bently parking lot from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. for a free flu vaccination. Vehicle staging will begin on Bently Parkway off Buckeye Road. The address is 1631 Bently Parkway South.

Starting pitching stood out for the Western Nevada College baseball team in its annual Player World Series on Oct. 15-18 at John L. Harvey Field in Carson City. Six of the Wildcats’ eight starting pitchers surrendered two runs or less in the four games of a series won by Team Lichty, 3-1.

“Both coaches did a great job and both rosters competed reasonably well. Overall, it was as lopsided a series as I can remember watching,” said WNC skipper D.J. Whittemore.

The Nevada Division of Emergency Management/Homeland Security is urging Nevada residents to make an emergency supply kit to ensure families and businesses can sustain themselves during a disaster or emergency. You may have to evacuate at a moment’s notice and take essentials with you, so it’s vital to assemble a kit in advance to ensure you and your family’s safety.

Each week during National Preparedness Month, the division will promote one of the four easy steps to “Be Disaster Aware and Take Action.”

NPM Step 3: Assemble an Emergency Supply Kit

Gov. Brian Sandoval proclaimed September as National Preparedness Month in Nevada. The Nevada Division of Emergency Management/Homeland Security, and the Division of Public and Behavioral Health urges Nevadans to prepare for an emergency that would require self-reliance for three days without utilities and electricity, water service, access to a supermarket or local services, household medical needs, and possibly without response from police, fire or rescue.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency announced Tuesday the launch of a new online tree removal permit application and credit card payment system that can be accessed through their website at trpa.org.

“The new online service is more customer friendly and is in line with the Agency’s core values of improving operational efficiency while providing a high-level of customer service,” said TRPA Executive Director, Joanne S. Marchetta.

Gov. Brian Sandoval, Chairman of the Nevada Commission on Homeland Security, along with 16 voting members recently approved the funding allocations for Federal Fiscal Year 2014 Homeland Security Grant Program projects.

Immunize Nevada and the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health met Tuesday at Carson Tahoe Women’s Health Institute for an event to educate Nevadans about Text4baby and to encourage expecting and first time mothers to do something for themselves this Mother’s Day and enroll in Text4baby.

The speakers, including Senator Ben Kieckhefer, from Washoe District 16; Vickie Ives, a representative from the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health; and Julia Peek, a mother of two and Text4baby user, spoke about the benefits of the program in helping build strong Nevada families.

With record drought conditions in the West, preparing your home for wildfire is more important than ever. May has been designated “Wildfire Awareness Month” in the Lake Tahoe Basin. This year’s theme is “Prepare Your Home For Wildfire” with a focus on creating and sustaining Fire Adapted Communities.

A Fire Adapted Community is a community located in a fire-prone area that requires little assistance from firefighters during a wildfire. Residents of these communities accept responsibility for living in a high fire-hazard area. They possess the knowledge and skills to:

The Carson City Fire Department is presenting the Nevada Wildfire Awareness Month Kickoff, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., Saturday, May 3 at Mills Park. The event will promote this year’s wildfire awareness message, “Prepare Your Home For Wildfire,” encouraging residents to better prepare their homes and properties now to survive future wildfires.

Cyber security, intel sharing, public information, operation coordination and communication are the five top priorities for 2014 determined by the Nevada Commission on Homeland Security, chaired by Gov. Brian Sandoval.

Sandoval and 16 voting members made the list of five spending priorities, with cyber security being No. 1, using a $4.7 million grant by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that was secured by Nevada last week.

Nevada was awarded $4.7 million Wednesday in federal Homeland Security money for 2014, according to the state's Department of Public Safety.

The grant award, known as the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, goes to states that are considered the nation’s highest risk areas, including urban areas that face the most significant threats. 

Carson City Supervisor Jim Shirk and dance partner Robin Kato were judged winners of Saturday night's Dancing with the Carson City Stars competition.

When the Carson City version of Dancing with the Stars spins into action on Saturday, Feb. 22, it will be the product of months of preparation and legwork from more than 10 local celebrity dancers.

RENO, Nev. – The University of Nevada, Reno’s Seismological Laboratory reports an ongoing swarm of earthquakes near Virginia City, Nev. since Tuesday, Jan. 21. To date, over 100 events have been located. Four have been larger than magnitude 3.0, in the past two days.

There have been no reports of damage. The larger events have been felt in Virginia City about 8 miles to the southwest and in Reno about 10 miles west of the swarm.

CARSON CITY – A team of about 20 Nevada public health professionals recently learned and practiced warehouse skills needed to unload, inventory and ship out massive amounts of medications or other items that could be needed in the event of a public health emergency.

The Storey County School District Director of Transportation has become the first in the nation to take the pro-active step to hold interactive, scenario-based attack countermeasure training for school bus drivers. The first training takes place this Friday, Jan. 3 in Virginia City.

Agencies and schools throughout Carson City will participate in an earthquake drill Thursday morning. Along with millions of people worldwide, Nevadans are encouraged to “Drop, Cover and Hold On” at 10:17 a.m. on Oct. 17 for the 2013 Great Nevada ShakeOut.

State agencies throughout the Carson City area, as well as the Public Health Preparedness Program of the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health, the Nevada Division of Emergency Management, and the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources plan to participate in the earthquake drill.

Carson City Sheriff Ken Furlong will run for a fourth term as the capital city's top law enforcement officer, announcing his 2014 re-election intentions Tuesday.

In what Furlong described as three "politically quiet but challenging years," crime statistics have trended downward since the 2010 election, which is remarkable given Carson City's economic climate as it continues to deal with the effects of a deep, prolonged recession.

A worldwide industry leader known for welcoming and accommodating guests has awarded Western Nevada College and its Carson City business partners a grant to offer hospitality certification workshops.

Hilton Worldwide has allocated a $5,000 Travel and Purpose Action Grant to WNC and key local partners - the Hampton Inn & Suites Carson City, and the Carson Valley Inn, Carson City Chamber of Commerce, and Carson Valley Chamber of Commerce. The grant will help fund a public workshop for American Hotel and Lodging Association certification on Friday, Oct. 18, at the Hampton Inn.

On Saturday, September 14, Carson City Emergency Management and Health and Human Services are excited to partner with the Carson City Home Depot for a special event in celebration of Get Ready Day.

From 8 am-3 pm on Saturday, representatives Carson City readiness agencies will be at the Home Depot on Market Street in Carson City to distribute bags and basic supplies for readiness kits and to answer questions that people may have about what to include in their kits.

An earthquake centered 7 miles northeast of Reno shook Northern Nevada on Monday night. The 4.23 magnitude earthquake shook the region at 5:51 p.m. It was centered around the Sun Valley area and felt in Carson City, Douglas and Lyon counties as well as the Lake Tahoe area, according to the U.S. Geological Survey and Nevada Seismological Laboratory.

Go here for more information.

The Public Health Preparedness Program in Carson City is offering N95 breathing masks at no cost. They are available effective immediately in the lobby of 4150 Technology Way until 5 p.m. today (Friday, August 23, 2013), or until supplies run out.

At 8:53 Sunday evening, the Carson City Sheriff’s Office was notified of a violent threat at the Olive Garden Restaurant on South Carson Street.

Initial reports indicated that a man, later identified as David Paul Lane had entered the business alone and at some point became agitated, then confronted the manager and staff with a loaded semi-automatic pistol.