Seymour second graders get lesson in making 911 calls

Seymour High School Junior Gabi Brassell shows Bungay School second grader Evan Yatri, holding phone, and his classmates how to call 911 during a safety program hosted last week by Seymour Public Schools Security Director Rich Kearns and Seymour Police Officer Michael Jasmin. / Contributed photo

Seymour Public Schools Security Director Rich Kearns teaches second graders about using 911 to report emergencies. / Contributed photo

SEYMOUR - Recently second grade students at Chatfield-LoPresti Elementary School and Bungay Elementary School participated in the annual “911 Safety Program” presented by Seymour Public Schools Security Director Rich Kearns and Seymour Police Department Officer Michael Jasmin.  

All of the district’s second grade students learned how to safely report emergencies making a 911 call. 
The students learned that 911 is not for fun or to report non-emergencies.  The second graders learned about different emergency situations that would merit a 911 call.     

Floyd Moir, President, Retina Systems Inc. of Seymour donated the  “911 Interactive Simulators” to Seymour schools which allowed students to make a simulated 911 call to a police dispatcher. 

This was an invaluable experience for students. It gave them the opportunity to interact with emergency services in a simulated situation which will better prepare them if they ever have to report an emergency using 911.  

Seymour High School students Courtney Hassenfeldt, Gabi Brassell, Kristina Biblekaj, Sara Samsonauk and Rebekah Stafford assisted Kearns and Jasmin by helping the second graders to make the 911 calls.

The second graders received coloring pictures, crayons, prevention rulers and certificates for participating in the important safety program.  

This post is taken from a press release from Rich Kearns, Seymour Public Schools Security Director.

Ansonia updates emergency info

10/28/2012 - Sandy - Sunday evening update (taken from the City of Ansonia website)

 

This information was sent out earlier on a CodeRed alert:

Hello, this is Mayor James DellaVolpe with an important message from the City of Ansonia.

The current forecast shows that Hurricane Sandy will impact the City of Ansonia after midnight tonight with the worst of the weather during the day and evening on Monday and into Tuesday.  While the track of the storm may change, we can expect to receive hurricane force winds and heavy rain over a one or two-day period.  Be prepared for street and basement flooding as well as power outages. 

Please stay away from any downed trees, poles, or power lines.  During the height of the storm, police, fire, and emergency medical crews may only be able to respond to life-threatening emergencies. Please call 911 to report emergencies. 

The City of Ansonia’s emergency managements personnel will be staffing the emergency operations center beginning tonight at 100 p.m. and continuing thru the storm and the immediate cleanup.

The City of Ansonia has made the decision to open the Emergency Shelter on Monday at 8 a.m. for those seeking emergency shelter. The emergency shelter is located at the Ansonia High School on Pulaski Highway.  Any residents that are going to the shelter are asked to bring any medication, pillow, blankets, and personal toiletries. 

If needed, an animal shelter will be opened at Prendergast School. Any animals need to be caged and the resident is required to supply food for the animal.  One resident will be needed to remain at the school with their animal.

Depending on the amount of damage caused by the storm, assistance with debris removal may be delayed for several days after the storm.

City crews have begun cleaning catch basins and will continue to do so until the storm priorities dictate otherwise.  If possible, we would appreciate any assistance in keeping these catch basins unobstructed to help reduce local flooding. 

We will be updating residents as the need arises. (See below for UI outage information.)

Thank you and be safe.

Mayor James Della Volpe

UI Outage information:

The United Illuminating Company encourages all of its customers to be prepared for the impending storm.  

First of all, please be safe.  Always remember to stay far away from any downed power lines.  Assume downed wires are live, stay far away and please call UI at 1-800-722-5584.

 Also, if you witness utility crews at work in your area....... please allow them to complete restoration work. 

These crews have limited direct information for the public and restoring power to neighborhoods is often delayed when they are detained by well-intentioned customers.

The best option is to call UI at 1-800-722-5584 or visit the website at uinet.com for updates and information. 

You can also get information by following the UI on Twitter @UnitedIllum.

As an Ansonia resident, I was pleasantly surprised to get a phone call from the mayor minutes ago with this information. 

Crisco, Gentile hail grant for Ansonia operations center

$50,000 to go toward emergency communications generator

State Sen. Joseph J. Crisco, Jr., D-Woodbridge and state Rep. Linda M. Gentile, D-Ansonia, today welcomed news from Gov. Dannel P. Malloy of the imminent release of state funding to help Ansonia acquire a new emergency communications generator. A state grant for $50,000 will help the city underwrite improvements at its Emergency Operations Center at the John G. Prendergast School.

The lawmakers said the item is included on the agenda for next Friday morning’s meeting of the State Bond Commission and expected to receive final approval and allocation at that time.

“The serendipitous timing of this news – on the anniversary of Tropical Storm Irene’s devastation exactly one year ago – is a fitting reminder of how communications difficulties grossly compounded the response to that storm among first responders, other government agencies, and utility companies alike,”  Crisco said.
 “The old generator in Ansonia had far exceeded its life expectancy and replacement parts are no longer available – I’m grateful to Governor Malloy and the state Office of Policy and Management for their favorable consideration of this application to refortify Ansonia’s emergency preparedness in this manner.”

“Making sure that our towns and cities have the tools they need to assist residents during an emergency is absolutely essential,” said Malloy.  “With this funding in place, Ansonia will be in a better position to weather whatever Mother Nature throws our way next.”

“I'm delighted Governor Malloy is continuing his commitment to small cities and emergency preparedness,” Gentile said. “The lessons learned following last year’s October nor'easter and Tropical Storm Irene include having municipalities able to power their emergency infrastructure to better assist residents.  It is encouraging the state is taking action in Ansonia.”

The lawmakers acknowledged the leadership of Ansonia Mayor James Della Volpe and the comprehensive application prepared by city Grant Writer Eileen Krugel.

“Ansonia is in urgent need of a generator… for our emergency communications systems (that) serve the primary communications equipment for police, fire, EMS, and Department of Emergency Management Homeland Security Region 2,” Krugel wrote.
“This generator… is limited to the emergency communications equipment, the phone system, boiler and fire safety equipment. The city school bus company also relies on this equipment – this is important in the event of a disaster with evacuations.”

Crisco and Gentile said the urgent need for a new generator to power the communications equipment became undeniable during a recent, statewide emergency preparedness drill held in Ansonia.
The grant itself will be administered by the state Department of Economic and Community Development.


The above was taken from a release from Crisco's office.