Border Community SERVICE
APRIL 2013
Page 2: Buffalo update; Volunteer needed - Good for the Neighborhood
Page 3: Niagara County update; SMART Training
Page 4: Skywarn Training Sessions
Border Community
SERVICE Staff
Director of the Institute of
Civic Engagement
SAVE THE DATE
BCS Empowering Volunteers
Annual Conference
Saturday
June 8, 2013
Details and registration form will be available in
our May newsletter. Watch for it!
David B. Taylor, PhD
Executive Director
City of Buffalo
Dana Estrada
[email protected]
716.205.0075
Niagara County
Earth
Day
April 22
Beginning in 1970, Earth Day is officially celebrated each year on
April 22nd.
What does it hope to accomplish?
◊ Promote ecology
◊ Encourage respect of all life on the planet
◊ Aim to inspire an awareness of and appreciation for earth’s environment
Do your part!
◊ Plant a tree
◊ Pick up roadside garbage
◊ Recycle
Valerie Haseley
[email protected]
716.205.0076
BCS Coordinator
Gail Struzik
[email protected]
716.205.0077
Office Information
Phone: 716.286.8010
FAX: 716.205.0072
Office Location:
443 Roosevelt Avenue
Niagara Falls, NY 14305
Mailing Addresses:
PO Box 2040
Niagara University, NY
14109-2040
Border Community SERVICE
City of Buffalo
Dana Estrada
716-205-0075
I had the wonderful opportunity to re-visit Pine Harbor Apartments to give a preparedness
presentation in March. So much good information came out of that meeting that they invited the
Buffalo Fire Department, and BCS once again, to come out to the building on April 8 th to talk about
emergency escape plans and the Buffalo Fire Department initiative of providing “Files of Life” to
people in the City of Buffalo. If you haven’t heard about Files of Life, they are small packets that
individuals can customize and carry, or keep in their homes, so first responders have important
medical history and information should it ever be needed. If you are in need of a File of Life, and
are a City of Buffalo resident, please call the Buffalo Fire Department to learn how you can receive
one.
On March 21, I had the opportunity to attend a conference on active shooters response techniques.
The conference, sponsored by the Tonawanda Police Department, was designed to educate
civilians – school faculty and staff and employees of local businesses and hospitals primarily - on
the history of mass shootings, assessing situations and response actions. It was a good productive
conference; unfortunately, it was less than a day later that a shooting occurred at Quantico, Va.
We must all remember to stay vigilant regardless of our situations at all times.
Border Community SERVICE is looking forward to working at numerous City of Buffalo school
events as well as starting the Clean Sweeps in April. If you know of groups looking for speakers,
please give me a call and let me know! The more people that are prepared, the better we all will
be!
Volunteer Needed for
Independent Health Foundation’s
Good for the Neighborhood Event
in Niagara County
May 23rd
Independent Health’s Good for the Neighborhood hosts this event at the Doris W. Jones Family
Resource Building, 3001-9th Street in Niagara Falls. A volunteer is needed to help at the next
event taking place on Thursday, May 23 from 5:30-7:30 PM.
About 100 people attend these events and the volunteer can provide our Emergency
Preparedness materials and an incentive gift as well as talk to the families about how to be
better prepared for an emergency or disaster.
If you are interested in helping at this event, please contact Gail Struzik, Office Coordinator, at
205-0077 or [email protected] Thanks!
Page 2
Niagara County
Valerie Haseley
716-205-0076
Thank you to Rodney Saunders who volunteered at the Independent Health’s Good for the
Neighborhood Event that took place on March 21st at the Doris W. Jones Family Resource
Building in Niagara Falls. He was able to speak to the 50 families that were in attendance on
how to make an emergency supply kit and a family communication plan.
I will be on maternity leave and returning in mid-May. I am excited to be home with our first child
during this time. Please contact Dana or Gail if you have any questions or concerns regarding
anything going on in Niagara County during this time. When I return, I will be starting to plan our
participation in summer events and I will get that information out to everyone once it’s confirmed.
Please contact Valerie Haseley at 716-205-0076 or [email protected] if you would like to
have a presentation scheduled with your group.
APRIL S.M.A.R.T. TRAINING
Tiger Schmittendorf, Assistant Fire Coordinator for Erie County, will be presenting
“Highway Safety Awareness for First Responders.” This class will include:
• Basic tools, resources, knowledge & understanding needed to
operate safely at highway incidents
• Extent of highway safety problems
• Related laws & standards
• Vehicle & driver reaction
• Effective traffic control
• Personnel & vehicle safety practice
• Available tools & resources
WHEN:
4/3/13, 6-8:30PM & 4/6/13, 9-11:30AM
WHERE:
Erie County Fire Training Academy, 3359 Broadway Rd., Cheektowaga
WHO:
S.M.A.R.T, C.E.R.T and all first responders
COST:
Free
HOW:
Registration to [email protected] or call 858-7109.
Include your name, name of your organization & a contact phone number.
NOTE:
Participants in this course will earn a certificate from the Niagara International
Transportation Technology Coalition. To receive your certificate,
early registration is a must. Last day of registration is 4/1/13@ noon.
Page 3
SKYWARN TRAINING SESSIONS
The Buffalo office of the National Weather Service will be conducting a SKYWARN spotter
training seminar at Niagara University in Dunleavy Hall, Room 127 on Tuesday, April 30 at
7:00PM. The training session is sponsored by the Border Community SERVICE of Niagara
University and will last about two hours. There is no cost for the training.
SKYWARN is a national effort to save lives during severe weather emergencies with an
expanding network of trained volunteer weather spotters. SKYWARN spotters support their
local community and government by providing reports of severe weather directly to the National
Weather Service in Buffalo through amateur radio or by phone using the NWS spotter hotline.
The services performed by SKYWARN spotters have saved many lives.
The National Weather Service has a number of devices for detecting severe thunderstorms.
Included in these are Doppler radar, satellite, and lightning detection networks. However, the
most important tool for observing thunderstorms is the trained eye of the storm spotter. By
providing observations, SKYWARN spotters assist National Weather Service staff in their warning
decisions and enable the National Weather Service to fulfill its mission of protecting life and
property. Storm spotters are, and always will be, an indispensable part of the severe local storm
warning program.
The basic training session provides a brief overview of the National Weather Service organization
and our responsibilities, severe weather safety, and basic severe weather meteorology including
how thunderstorms, severe thunderstorms and tornadoes form.
Anyone can become a severe weather spotter for the National Weather Service. SKYWARN
training is free and open to the public.
For further information, you can call the National Weather Service at (716) 565-0204 ext. 223
or Dana Estrada, Executive Director, Border Community SERVICE of Niagara University at
(716) 205-0075.
҉
҉
҉
҉
҉
҉
҉
҉
҉
҉
҉
҉
҉
҉
҉
҉
҉
҉
҉
҉
҉
҉
҉
҉
҉
҉
҉
҉
҉
҉
If you are interested in this training and cannot make this date and/or location, another free
SKYWARN Training session will be held on Thursday, April 25, from 7-9:00 pm at the Erie
County Fire Training Academy, 3359 Broadway Road, Cheektowaga, NY.
Register at: [email protected]
Registration is required - please include your name, organization and a contact phone number.
Registrations without this information will not be processed.
This is a very popular class and registration is limited… sign up today!
Page 4