by California Casualty | Firefighters, Safety |
Do you have (or are you yourself) a student going away to school this fall?
(awww…)
The lists of things to remember to do before leaving home is immense: dorm necessities, vaccinations, class registrations… the list goes on and on.
In all the chaos and excitement, it’s hard to remember everything.
But the Los Angeles Fire Department came out with an important reminder this month: Prepare for the possibility of a fire in university housing.
Just like you have fire plans at home, at school, and at work, you also need one for Campus Housing.
Think it will never happen at your school?
155 people have died in campus-related fires since January 2000.
The National Fire Protection Association says fire departments responded to an average of 3,840 structure fires in dorms, fraternities, sororities and barracks between 2005-2009. Every year (on average), fires caused:
- 3 civilian deaths
- 28 civilian fire injuries
- $20.9 million in direct property damage
So what can YOU do to keep yourself or your child safe while they’re away?
1. Identify fire risks. 81% of reported fires involved cooking equipment
2. Know the Common Factors in Housing Fires: (source)
- Fires in campus housing are most common between the hours of 5 and 11 p.m.
- Lack of automatic fire sprinklers
- Missing or disabled smoke alarms
- Careless disposal of smoke materials
- Impaired judgment
- Fires originating on upholstered furniture on decks or porches
3. Follow these Tips: (source)
- Look for fully sprinklered housing
- Make sure your housing unit has smoke alarms inside each bedroom, outside every sleeping area and on each level
- Confirm that smoke alarms are tested at least monthly
- Never remove batteries or disable alarms
- Learn building evacuation plans and have a copy on hand BY the door. No organized plan? Make sure YOU have a fire escape plan with two ways out of every room
- Cook only where permitted
- Cook only when alert and not sleepy or drowsy
- Different states have different restrictions for use of BBQ grills, fire pits and chimeneas. Check with your local fire department before using these items- especially if you moved from out-of-state!
- Check with school rules on electrical appliances in your room
- Use the right surge protectors for your computers or electronics and make sure the protector is plugged directly into an outlet
4. Ask these Questions when you arrive at school or drop your student off there
We know this is a busy time for everyone. There’s a lot of excitement and preparation that goes into starting a new semester at school. But please be sure to take FIRE SAFETY into account. It’s a real risk that is too often forgotten, which can lead to deadly consequences.
Additional resources:
by California Casualty | Peace Officers |
It’s Monday. And Mondays usually elicit the usual the-weekend-is-over-time-for-a-full-workweek sigh.
So today we are excited to not just profile a TOP LEO Blog, but also give you something to look forward to on Mondays!
Today’s Top Blog is…
The 5-2: Crime Poetry Weekly Blog!
First things first. What is The 5-2? The 5-2 is a blog (duh) that updates every week and brings you poetry written by members of law enforcement. That’s right: Crime poetry. We thought this was such an amazing way to give LEOs an outlet, a way to express the often inexpressible happenings of their day-to-day duties.
So, what does this have to do with Mondays? Good question. The weekly part of The 5-2 comes on Monday. That’s when Gerald So, writer and blog maintainer, updates the site. So if you have the Monday blues, here’s something for you to look forward to!
As usual, we caught up with Mr. So to hear more about this very unique LEO blog. Here’s what he has to say about The 5-2…
What is the primary focus of The 5-2? To publish an all-new crime-themed poem each Monday year-round.
Why did you start it? The 5-2 evolved from a print chapbook series I published called The Lineup: Poems on Crime. The Lineup unfortunately didn’t get much distribution before it became too costly to continue printing. By contrast, I can maintain The 5-2‘s quality presentation without printing costs.
How long have you been blogging crime poetry? The blog has tracked The Lineup’s progress since February 2008. It has featured The 5-2‘s all-new poetry since September 12, 2011.
If this isn’t your first blog, how long have you been blogging? I started my first blog in 2004.
What’s your favorite thing to write about? Memories.
Do you have a least favorite? Reality television.
Tell us a little bit about your blog ‘community’ … My blog community is mostly mystery/crime writers and readers. I’m surprised and glad to have met them through my blogs and email discussion lists.
If you win Battle of the Blogs, to which charity will you donate your $200 winnings? The American Red Cross.
Is there anywhere, other than the blog, that we can keep up with you on the web? On my Twitter account.
Want to check out some of The 5-2‘s Poetry? Click here! To vote for your favorite LEO blog, click here!
by California Casualty | Firefighters |
During my search through the Fire & EMT blogosphere for the TOP blogs, we found a ton of great bloggers. There are countless firefighters and EMTs out there with great advice, stories and suggestions.
But while I searched, I also found a whole different kind of fire blog: blogs that represented entire units of firefighters, instead of just one particular FF! This bigger take on the fire world opens up whole new opportunities for fire blogs.
We are so pleased to profile one such blog today! Ladies and gentleman, today’s top blog is…
CAL FIRE: Inyo-Mono-San Bernardino Unit!
If you are looking for an inside look into a CA fire unit, this is the blog for you. But that’s not all CAL FIRES offers. It’s also a one-stop-shop for information about the Unit and its personnel, fire and life safety information, access to fire safety videos, product safety, regional cooperators in fire and life safety, and a large collection of fire service pictures of training, fire fighting and firefighters accomplishments.
Phew. That’s a lot of coverage. But what’s great about CAL FIRE is that it actually delivers.
My favorite thing about CAL FIRE? The blog does a stellar job of presenting relevant, useful fire and safety information in clear, interesting ways using great photos and linked resources.
Exploring the blog, I started to wonder how it came about. So we chatted with a CAL FIRE editor to get the inside scoop!
How would you describe CAL FIRE?
Our blog is an information site both for CAL FIRE San Bernardino Unit personnel, CAL FIRE personnel and the public at large.
What is the focus or mission of the site?
The mission of our blog is to provide up to date information on what CAL FIRE San Bernardino Unit personnel are achieving and accomplishing. The blog is also designed to provide fire and life safety information to the general public while providing information of interest to the news media.
Why did you start it?
We began the CAL FIRE San Bernardino Unit blog site to provide information to unit personnel, the public and the news media about what was going on in the Unit as well as fire and life safety information.
How long has it been filling this role?
Since May 25, 2010 when the blog was created.
How long have you been blogging?
On and off for more than five years. This is the first consistently maintained blog that I have done.
What’s your favorite thing to write about?
For the Cal FIRE San Bernardino Unit blog, everything I write about is my favorite. I enjoy spreading the word about the accomplishments and achievements of our personnel as well as keeping fire and life safety information before the public and news media.
What can you tell us about your blog ‘community’?
Our ‘community’ consists of interest from around the world such as Russia, Germany, Brazil, Egypt and South Korea to name a few. I am not only surprised by the reach of our blog but that so many different people would be interested. Last month for example we had 3,742 page views… I am humbled and inspired to do the best job I can in providing information that displays our unit and personnel to the world.
What has been the best your best experience as a blogger?
When we were named a top fire department blog last year.
(Woo hoo, Congrats!)
What have you learned?
I have learned that people hungry for information and this, as I mentioned, inspires me to provide the best information and photographs possible.
Any great stories to share with us?
Yes, during the annual ABC7/Firefighters Spark of Love Christmas Toy Drive in 2011 we were able to have the “Angel Cars” at two events. The toy drive events were held in the cities of Highland and Yucaipa, where the CAL FIRE San Bernardino Unit is the city fire department. Both events were honored to have these cars which pay tribute to the fallen emergency responders who died in the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center, Pentagon and United Flight 93. These beautiful white cars contain the names of every person who died in those tragic events. We were indeed honored to have them as a part of our Christmas Toy Drive efforts to help less advantaged children in those communities to have a brighter Christmas.
If you win, to which charity will you donate your $200 winnings? Why?
If I win, the money would be donated to the Muscular Dystrophy Association because not only are they a great organization that is working continually to find a cure for this disease, but this is an organization that all of CAL FIRE has chosen to assist in raising funds for a cure.
To check out CAL FIRE, click here! To vote for them in our blog competition, click here! You can also keep up with their great fire and safety content by following along on Twitter.
by California Casualty | Educators |
What is it about Kindergarten teachers that make them such outstanding bloggers!?
Today we are profiling another magnificent Kindergarten blog: Mrs. Wills Kindergarten!
If you are looking for an elementary school blog with fantastic (and super creative!) resources, Mrs. Wills Kindergarten is a MUST SEE blog!
And the blogger behind the blog, Deedee Wills, is a rock star.
Not only is she a fun, interactive blogger, but she is also working on a web site that helps teachers find the right books for their teaching ideas, organizes web-based teacher book studies, and is constantly updating the blog with great book ideas and giveaways.
Phew!
Luckily, Mrs. Wills did manage to find a little time between all this multitasking to talk to us a little bit about her blog and her experience as a Kindergarten blogger!
Deedee, how would you describe your blog?
My blog is about the daily happenings in my kindergarten classroom. I share lesson ideas and hopefully inspire teachers to try new things in their classroom. I also can connect with teachers around the world. Blogging helps me be even MORE reflective in my teaching… as a result, my students win.
What do you aim to accomplish with ‘Mrs. Wills Kindergarten’?
To share and connect with other teachers, particularly primary teachers.
Is this your first blog?
Yes.
When did you launch it?
January 2011
Do you have any favorite or least favorite topics?
Favorite: student writing!!!! Least favorite: promotional items.
(I have to step in here and say that Mrs. Wills has a fantastic post about student writing that I just love. It’s about the class pet, Miss Theodora, and you can find it here!)
Tell us a little bit about your blog ‘community’…
My blogging community is awesome! There are so many bloggers that make me laugh out loud… goodness! In the world of teaching we often shut the door and work with little kiddos. We sometimes can work closely with teaching peers in our building, but everyone is busy. In the blogging world, everyone’s door is wide open. You can look inside of 15 classrooms in less than 5 minutes. It helps you gauge if you are on track with your instruction or if you need to kick it up a notch. You can see the possibilities. Anyone who says that teaching is no longer fun, needs to sit down and see how amazingly joyful it can be.
What has been your best experience as a blogger?
Last summer I led a blog book study on Math Work Stations. GOODNESS! I created Linky parties and asked other bloggers to help host various chapters. We had K-2 bloggers represented and it was amazing. We were able to share resources and see the vertical alignment of instructions. It was incredible! I am getting ready to do the same thing with a book based on writing instruction. We are VERY excited! You can read about last summer’s here: Math Work Stations Chapter 1 and 2 This summer’s here: In Pictures and in Words.
What have you learned from the blogging experience?
There is more than one way to bake a cake! There are many ways to inspire and teach children. When we share our perspectives, children win.
There is no such thing as a dumb question. I have had first year teachers email me and say, “This may seem like a silly question, but…” My feeling is that we were all new once and someone helped me. If I can help someone through my semi-random ramblings, I am happy to do it.
Any stories you’d like to share?
I had a teacher who was from Joplin, MO email me and tell me how low the teacher moral was (this was 8 months after the devastating tornado). She asked if I would donate an item I had made to give to these teachers. Of course… but then I thought… I can do better than THAT! I called out to the blogging community and they were AMAZING! You can read about this here: Love to Joplin.
So, Mrs. Wills, if you win the Battle of the Blogs, to which charity will you donate your $200 winnings? Why?
Donors Chose is a wonderful organization. I would love to be able to support another teacher by helping to fulfill their project.
Want to know more about Mrs. Wills Kindergarten? Check out her blog here! Already a fan? Vote for her in our Battle of the Blogs here!
by California Casualty | Nurses |
Have you ever had one of those experiences where something just keeps popping up in your life?
You meet someone with a peculiar name, and next thing you know you’re seeing it everywhere: the credits of movies, a book you’re reading, the nametag of your waitress. You hear a song you like and suddenly it’s on in the grocery store, running in the background of a TV ad, playing while you’re on hold.
Well, that’s what’s happening to me right now.
And it all started with this:
Yes, I am being stalked by chocolate beauty products.
That chocolate scented lotion is in the bathroom at work. It smells heavenly. I have quickly become a chocolate lotion addict.
So chocolate-themed beauty products were already on my mind.
Then CalCas announced that we were giving away a spa trip for nurses…
To the Hershey Hotel.
As in this Hershey:
Apparently, aside from providing nurses auto insurance, we also like to provide them with chocolate facials. Who knew!?
I had to get to the bottom of this chocolate products craze. And guys, it doesn’t stop at facials. Hershey’s offers chocolate sugar scrubs, cocoa massages, whipped cocoa bathes, chocolate fondue wrap, chocolate immersion!!!
So I had to know, what’s the deal? Does coating ourselves in chocolates do anything more than lead to wicked candy bar cravings? After extensive googling, here’s what I learned:
- Cocoa beans are high in antioxidant phenolic phytochemicals (say that three times fast…). Those anti-oxidant properties prevent damage to skin’s elastin and collagen. In other words, it could help smoothen out/prevent wrinkles. (One study even shows that chocolate can contain more antioxidants per cup than red wine or green tea!)
- Chocolate contains Shea butter. Shea butter! Now there’s something I recognize. Shea butter is a fairly common moisturizer and skin softener. It can do wonders for dry skin
- The cocoa butter in chocolate also serves as a natural skin softener as well as conditioner
- The caffeine in chocolate can stimulate circulation and give your skin a healthy glow
- That great chocolate smell causes the brain to release serotonin. That’s the same hormone that promotes happy feelings (like falling in love) and reduces stress
So, I was pretty sold on this whole chocolate shtick. (Honestly, it didn’t take tooo much convincing.) And then today, I had to get my oil changed. I’m flipping through a magazine and what do I see?!?
This ad:
It’s a crazy, chocolate world out there, kids.
[And hey, if you’re a nurse and you wanna give this whole chocolate thing a try (and take three people with you!) enter to win the Hershey Spa Giveaway from California Casualty by clicking here!]
Chocolate fact sources:
- https://www.livestrong.com/article/164163-chocolate-spa-treatment/
- https://www.sharonpalmer.com/blog_details.php?article_id=104
- https://www.herbcompanion.com/body-care/body-soul-chocolate-spa-treatments.aspx
