2015 - 2nd QTR Elma West Seneca CERT Newsletter

APRIL - MAY - JUNE 2015

ELMA / WEST SENECA SERVING THE COMMUNITY SINCE 2006

ELMA Edward R. Sauer Emergency Manager (716) 652-7635 oem@elmanewyork.com MEETINGS - 7:00 PM 2nd Wednesday of Month Training and meetings are at the Elma Senior Center unless noted.

Elma Senior Center 3007 Bowen Road Elma, NY 14059 Web: elmanewyork.com/oem/ECert.html Facebook: Elma Community Emergency Response Team, Inc.

WEST SENECA John Gullo Emergency Manager (716) 558-3238 jgullo@twsny.org MEETINGS - 7:00 PM 3rd Monday of the month Training and meetings are at the West Seneca School’s Ebenezer Building W. S. School Ebenezer Bldg.

900 Mill Road West Seneca, NY 14224 Watch website and Facebook for training and meeting locations.

Web: www.wscert.net Facebook: West Seneca Cert

APRIL - MAY - JUNE 2015

SUMMER SAFETY FOR YOU & YOUR DOG/PUPPY

by Pat Jakubowski

As the warmer weather approaches, we all have a tendency to spend more time outdoors.

Here are some safety tips to keep our pets safe and happy.

Keep your dog on a leash for their protection. While it may be tempting to let your dog off leash, don’t! New York State law requires all dogs to on a leash when off their own property. Be considerate of others and keep that pup on a leash for everyone’s safety.

Even the most well behaved dog may become distracted and it’s sometimes hard to determine how it will respond to distractions such as a running deer, rabbit, or even another dog. Unless your pet is in a secured or gated area, it must be on a leash. Keep your pets ID tags current and on their collar at all times when outside, just in case it escapes and is running free. This is the best way to ensure its safe and quick return.

If approached by a strange dog , the first line of defense is to act like a tree. Dogs love to chase things. Stop, fold in your branches (fold your hands and put them down close to your body), and watch your roots grow (look down at your feet and try to avoid eye contact), Trees are boring to dogs and the dog will usually go away and leave you alone. Even if you are

CARIBBEAN CHICKEN SALAD from emergencykitcookoff.org

Ingredients Olive Oil 1 can chickpeas 1 can chicken 1 sm can pineapple tidbits in juice 1/4 c dried cranberries 1/4 c of pecan pieces 1/4 c crispy chow mein noodles 1/8 c dried minced onion 1 Tbsp celery seed 1 Tbsp poppy seeds salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Drain and mash the chickpeas.

Blend with olive oil until creamy like hummus. Smear a thin layer of the chickpea mixture on individual plates and set aside.

Drain the pineapple tidbits, saving the juice. Drain the chicken.

Combine the chicken, pineapple and remaining ingredients--excluding the pineapple juice--in a bowl. Add just enough of the pineapple juice to mixture to hold everything together.

Serve the chicken salad on top of the chickpeas for a beautiful presentation and amazing taste.

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scared, it is important to stand very still and look at your feet. Never run from a dog! This trick is great to teach children to keep them safe from strange animals. If you are training a puppy the stillness will usually calm the dog.

Hot weather = hot dog!

Limit your dog’s time outdoors when it is extremely hot or humid. Try to walk them in the morning or evening to utilize the cooler temperatures of the day. Also try to limit the time your dog is on hot pavement. The hot blacktop can harm your dog’s paw pads and burn them.

Dogs can get sunburned. Apply a dog sunscreen to your dog’s ears, nose and anywhere they have bare skin or thin fur.

Never leave your dog unattended in the car.

Even with the windows down the temperature can reach dangerous levels in as little as 10 minutes.

Keep your dog hydrated during the summer.

Have fresh cool water available at all times.

Don’t let them drink pool water and be sure to have fresh water available to help discourage the habit of drinking water from the pool. Pool water can be especially dangerous to drink because of the high chlorine levels.

Be watchful when around water. Swimming is fun for your dog and a great way to cool off, but it may be too far for a dog to swim in deep water.

Once swim time is over, be sure to rinse your pet to remove dirt, bacteria and chlorine that can all cause skin irritations.

Household products can also me harmful for your dog. Some of the things to avoid around your pet are citronella candles, cocoa, mulch, compost piles, fertilizers, swimming pool treatment supplies, insecticides, and slug and snail baits.

TICKS - WHAT TO KNOW

by Amy Thompson

As we start heading outdoors as the weather warms here are some things to know about ticks.

The three most common ticks in New York State are the deer (black-legged) tick, the American dog tick and the lone star tick Ticks crawl up - Ticks don’t jump, fly, or drop from trees onto your head and back. If you find one attached there, it most likely latched onto your foot or leg and crawled up over your entire body. Ticks are “programmed” to try and attach around your head or ears.

All ticks come in small, medium and large sizes - Ticks hatch from eggs and develop through three active (and blood-feeding) stages: larvae (small-the size of sand grains); nymphs(medium-the size of poppy seeds); adults (large-the size of apple seeds).

Ticks can be active in the winter - Adult stage deer ticks become active every year after the first frost. They’re not killed by freezing temperatures, and while other ticks enter a feeding diapause as day-lengths get shorter, deer ticks will be active any winter day that the ground is not snow-covered or frozen.

Tick-transmitted infections are more common than in past decades. With increases in deer populations, it also increases the spread of deer ticks. Diseases found in ticks include Lyme disease bacteria, Babesia protozoa, Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, and other rickettsia, even encephalitis-causing viruses, and possibly Bartonella bacteria.

Only deer ticks transmit Lyme disease - The only way to get Lyme disease is by being bitten by a deer tick or one of its “cousins” found around the world. Deer ticks also are known as blacklegged ticks in the U.S. You have at least 24 hours to find and remove a tick before it transmits an infection - Even a quick daily tick check at bath or shower time can be helpful in finding and removing attached ticks before they can transmit an infection.

Many of the disease-causing microbes transmitted by ticks need a “re-activation” period in the tick once it begins to feed. The germs eventually make their way into the tick’s salivary glands and the tick spits them into you while feeding.

Some infections, especially viruses, move into

APRIL - MAY - JUNE 2015

the tick salivary glands faster than others. Lyme disease bacteria take at least 24 hours to invade the tick’s saliva.

The best way to remove a tick is with a pointy tweezer - Using really pointy tweezers, it’s possible to grab even the poppy-seed sized nymphs right down next to the skin. The next step is to simply pull the tick out like a splinter. Don’t worry if the mouthpart stays in your skin as long as you’ve got the rest of the tick by its head. Remember to save the tick and try to identify it.

Watch for signs of illness such as rash or fever in the days and weeks following the bite, and see a health care provider if these develop. If you become ill after a tick bite, see a health -care provider.

An easy way to avoid tick bites and disease is to wear clothing (shoes, socks, shorts or pants, and shirt) with permethrin tick repellent built-in.

Commercially-treated tick repellent clothes last through at least 70 washes, while using kits or sprays to treat your current outdoor wardrobe can last through 6 washes.

Tick bites and diseases are preventable Reduce tick abundance in your yard where you spend a lot of time, treat pets every month with tick repellent spot-on products, get into a habit of doing a quick body scan for attached poppy-seed sized or larger ticks, and pulling ticks off quickly and safely are all great actions for preventing tick bites.

THE DISAPPEARING VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER

by John Gullo

In most places in America, when a fire breaks out, a volunteer shows up to put it out.

But the ranks of volunteers are dwindling. What was once an iconic part of American life is losing its allure, in part because the work — some would say the calling — is a lot less fun than it used to be.

There are still more than twice as many volunteers as career firefighters. But the number of volunteers has dropped by around 11 percent since the mid-1980s, while the number of career firefighters has grown. The allure has diminished because of the intense training requirements now takes up roughly half the time most volunteers spend on duty. The Standards enacted to save the firefighters’ lives have unintentionally created a barrier for volunteer service: It now takes hundreds of hours, which can make it harder for volunteers to fit volunteer time in today. Also with dual income households it is harder for one to run off to an emergency.

Firefighters’ duties have also shifted. A vast majority of calls are for medical emergencies, not fires. Much like emergency room doctors, volunteer firefighters are increasingly are dispatched for water rescues, vehicle entrapments, hazardous material spills and drug overdoses and are also serving as primary care providers.

The total number of fire department responses has jumped by 167 percent in 26 years, largely because medical responses have gone up by 15.2 million.

Every time something goes wrong in their lives, people dial 911, and guess who gets sent? Volunteers!

Volunteers are always needed, if you are unable to commit the time to be a volunteer firefighter…. Become a Community Emergency Response Team member! There are multiple teams in Erie County. Cheektowaga, Elma, Lancaster, Grand Island, and West Seneca.

APRIL - MAY - JUNE 2015

ELMA CERT SAYS GOODBYE

UPCOMING TRAINING & Elma CERT, Inc. lost one of its members, Paul EVENTS CALENDAR Gumulak, suddenly and unexpectedly on Thurs- April day, March 26, 2015 at age 51. Paul was a valued member of the team and will be greatly 8 Elma CERT meeting missed. He was the beloved husband of Kathy 11 CERT Training EMPact 11 SMART Caring for Animals in and dear father of Jennifer and Brandon.

Emergency Shelters Paul will be remembered for his smile and his sense of humor. He 14 CPR Class - Elma Sr. Center will also be remembered for his willingness to help others in his every day life and as a member Elma CERT. Rest in peace, Paul 15 HAM Radio Test - WS EOC 15 SMART - AHA CPR - Recertification Only 18 SMART - AHA Heartsaver CPR - New Students Only 18 TECC for EMS Workshop* www.dhses.ny.gov/training/ courses/TECC-April-19-15.pdf

ELMA CERT HOSTED TRAINING EVENTS

19 TECC for EMS Workshop* www.dhses.ny.gov/training/ courses/TECC-April-19-15.pdf

The Elma CERT hosted two events in the last quarter. A Red Cross Shelter Management Class was held Saturday, February 21st and 20 WS CERT meeting a Gardening Workshop was held March 21st. Both were held at the 28 SMART - Basic Disaster Life Support Elma Senior Center May

13 SMART - Run/Hide/Fight: Surviving Active Shooter Event 13 Elma CERT Meeting 16 FREE Pistol Permit Class www.empactamerica.org

WEST SENECA CERT - CREEK WATCH

16 SMART - Run/Hide/Fight: Surviving Active Shooter Event 18 West Seneca CERT Meeting

Many West Seneca CERT members spent a week watching for flooding of the Cazenovia & Buffalo Creeks. Even though the 19 ICS-300 (3 day class) nyslearn.ny.gov/index.html Creeks were in flood stage no homes were in danger.

WEST SENECA CERT & FEMA West Seneca, NY is on the radar of FEMA – CERT representatives!

After the response to “Snowvember” FEMA representatives spoke to John Gullo about the efforts of the local response and recognized the West Seneca CERT for their efforts.

West Seneca Emergency Manager John Gullo was asked to speak on two FEMA Webinars - CERT Teams can do for your community and Local Response – Are you ready?

ELMA Sign up for Code Red to be notified of emergency situations or critical community alerts.

Sign up for Elma Code Red : www.elmanewyork.com

WEST SENECA

www.westseneca.net, wscert. net and facebook page

June 10 Elma CERT meeting 10 SMART - Safety Review 13 SMART - Safety Review 15 West Seneca CERT meeting 15 ICS-400 (2 day class) Erie County Fire Training Ac. nyslearn.ny.gov/index.html

Check the West Seneca CERT and Elma CERT, Inc. websites for updates and upcoming events.

Anyone interested in training provided by SMART must pre-register at: www2.erie.gov/smart. Some trainings may have prerequisites. * Restricted Enrollment