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Parks and Recreation with Mayor Cook
Gabriel Ramirez
Game fields-The Parks Maintenance have to walk the 140 fields regularly to check for areas that need to be filled in since uneven surfaces could cause injury to the athletes. The dirt has been already brought in, and now they rake it smooth and flat. The Mayor grabbed a rake and helped.
Eduardo Aragon
Lining the fields with chalk - only line the outfield for special requests.They use a line to help keep things straight and then a metal frame to line out the batter's areas. They line the fields the day before the game.
Paula Powell - Sports Manager
50 teams at Tobins Park over 5,000 citywide. Now parents attend training to help deal with the past problems. Many years ago, the mayor while umpiring was punched by an angry parent who didn't like the call. The team was very small kids.
George Flores-Park Area Supervisor
Arbor day-modesto ash planting. They are careful to plant at the right depth and they move it in its box to the right location to keep the root ball safe. Wonder how much trouble they have with theft? The trees have sprinklers to make sure they get enough water. I especially liked how they had everyone come so they all had a chance to be filmed and meet the mayor.
Gregory Edmunds - Recreation Program
Indoor Hockey Rink - Saturday morning Tues, Wed and Thurs mornings. Black Diamonds roller team. They switch from soccer to hockey in the arena since they require different items. 90-95 miles an hour for a hockey puck. Mayor played street hockey on roller skates that tightened onto one's shoes (I remember those!!).
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
NLA-FIre Department 11/19/2009
Mike Ortiz, El Paso Fire Department
A lovely facility on Montana with a firefighter's museum in front.
They respond to over 73,000 calls, 85% of which are medical emergencies. There are 52 firetrucks and 20 Ambulances. It includes a water rescue unit which often has to recover bodies from the Rio Grande. Their accellerant-trained dog's name is Kim, she is a big, black dog like a shepherd. They don't have any dalmations, dalmations are one dog that usually gets along well with horses and would guard them while the firemen were sleeping. No horses=no dalmation.
He spoke highly of EPCC's fire-fighting program, but admits most of the faculty are El Paso FireFighters.
No firetruck anywhere can go over 5 stories (104 feet). Anything over that, they rely on fire doors and similar structural devices to keep the fire contained and people safe. Opening those doors endanger everyone.
There is only one person to monitor all 5,000 fire hydrants. That individual knows how much water each will pump and ensures they are inspected thoroughly every 5 years.
El Paso has an ISO Class 1 Fire Department, which is in the top 1% nationwide. This helps all residents and businesses keep their fire insurance rates low. They will come out and do free home inspections, and then provide a document that can be taken to some insurances for additional discounts. They do not cite anyone for violations, they just inform the homeowner and it is up to the homeowner what will be done. Most common concern is the lack of escape bars on windows, the ones that are bolted in are fire traps. Call 771-1090 for the inspection.
One issue was the public schools who fail to keep accurate records of fire drills. This was a tick mark on the ISO Class 1 renewal. Schools are supposed to conduct one firedrill each month they are open. This is only K-12. EPCC, UTEP and proprietary schools are considered businesses, not schools. Any citizen visiting a local school can ask to see the fire drill record and ensure it is up to date.
They have approval to build a Regional Fire Training Center on Airport land. They are just looking for the funds now.
The Fire Department (and the Extreme Weather Task Force) are both on Facebook and also are trying hard to redesign the website to make it more userfriendly.
A lovely facility on Montana with a firefighter's museum in front.
They respond to over 73,000 calls, 85% of which are medical emergencies. There are 52 firetrucks and 20 Ambulances. It includes a water rescue unit which often has to recover bodies from the Rio Grande. Their accellerant-trained dog's name is Kim, she is a big, black dog like a shepherd. They don't have any dalmations, dalmations are one dog that usually gets along well with horses and would guard them while the firemen were sleeping. No horses=no dalmation.
He spoke highly of EPCC's fire-fighting program, but admits most of the faculty are El Paso FireFighters.
No firetruck anywhere can go over 5 stories (104 feet). Anything over that, they rely on fire doors and similar structural devices to keep the fire contained and people safe. Opening those doors endanger everyone.
There is only one person to monitor all 5,000 fire hydrants. That individual knows how much water each will pump and ensures they are inspected thoroughly every 5 years.
El Paso has an ISO Class 1 Fire Department, which is in the top 1% nationwide. This helps all residents and businesses keep their fire insurance rates low. They will come out and do free home inspections, and then provide a document that can be taken to some insurances for additional discounts. They do not cite anyone for violations, they just inform the homeowner and it is up to the homeowner what will be done. Most common concern is the lack of escape bars on windows, the ones that are bolted in are fire traps. Call 771-1090 for the inspection.
One issue was the public schools who fail to keep accurate records of fire drills. This was a tick mark on the ISO Class 1 renewal. Schools are supposed to conduct one firedrill each month they are open. This is only K-12. EPCC, UTEP and proprietary schools are considered businesses, not schools. Any citizen visiting a local school can ask to see the fire drill record and ensure it is up to date.
They have approval to build a Regional Fire Training Center on Airport land. They are just looking for the funds now.
The Fire Department (and the Extreme Weather Task Force) are both on Facebook and also are trying hard to redesign the website to make it more userfriendly.
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