Posted in emergency management, tagged commerce, Decatur Police, Decatur Police Department, ice, n candler, police, snow on January 28, 2014 | Leave a Comment »
Be careful driving at the corner of Commerce and N. Candler. There is ice at this intersection and if you can avoid it please do. In fact, if you can avoid driving in general that would be the best thing, especially as temperatures drop and more freezing occurs.
The police non-emergency number is 404-373-6551.
Posted in emergency management, tagged City of Decatur, City Schools of Decatur, closings, Decatur Active Living, Decatur Library, decatur municipal court, Decatur Police, Decatur Police Department, Decatur Recreation Center, emergency management, library, police, snow on January 28, 2014 | 3 Comments »
Today’s weather is a good opportunity to re-post the following from Sgt. Ross with the Decatur Police Department:
Check On Seniors In Your Neighborhood
This is not a warning to the community that it is cold outside, we are all quite aware. This is a request for everyone to pitch in as a community and offer something that is free, a few minutes of your time. Many of us prep for cold weather by stocking the kitchen, picking up a space heater, throwing more blankets on the bed and tending to our plants and animals. However, it is not easy for every member of our community to prepare for or endure extremely cold weather. Please take a few minutes to check on the seniors in your neighborhood. See if you can bring in their mail or wood or something else they may need. Sometimes simply being checked on is greatly appreciated when staying indoors gets to be lonely. Lastly, a neighbor may need emergency assistance and unable to call for themselves. If you are caring for an elder loved one or simply watching out for seniors in your neighborhood, click here for some specific tips to help.
The police non-emergency number is 404-373-6551.
Here’s a round-up of today’s closings in the City of Decatur:
Posted in emergency management, tagged Active Living, Decatur Business Association, emergency management, police, Recreation Center, snow, State of the City, weather on January 28, 2014 | Leave a Comment »
Due to the threat of inclement weather, tonight’s State of the City address, hosted by the Decatur Business Association, is cancelled. The new date will be announced once it is scheduled.
Tonight’s youth basketball practice, as well as afternoon and evening classes at the Decatur Recreation Center, are cancelled. The gym will close early today at 5 p.m. Wednesday morning classes and activities at the Recreation Center are likely to be cancelled as well. Please check the Active Living blog for the latest updates.
Snow is expected to begin falling this afternoon, and roads are expected to freeze. State routes will be the priority for road crews clearing streets, followed by major city streets. Residential streets will be the last to be cleared. City of Decatur residents are encouraged to clear the sidewalks in front of their property.
Thursday garbage and recycling pick up may be delayed, depending on road conditions. Please check back here for updates.
For any issues during the inclement weather, please contact the police non-emergency number at 404-373-6551.
Posted in Community, emergency management on January 15, 2014 | Leave a Comment »
Forty five percent of us usually make New Year’s Resolutions, but typically only 8% are successful in achieving their resolutions. What if in addition to or instead of weight loss or a new hobby, you resolved to keep you and your family safe in 2014? Here are five simple resolutions that you’ll have no trouble keeping.
Although 8% of Americans do not keep their New Year’s resolutions, we hope you are able to commit to safety and keep these five resolutions throughout 2014. Be sure to check out the Emergency Management Services page on the City’s website for additional information and tips.
Posted in Community, emergency management, Technology on January 13, 2014 | Leave a Comment »
Today is Amber Alert Awareness Day, marking the 18 year anniversary of the day Amber Hagerman was abducted while riding her bicycle in Arlington, Texas, and later found murdered. In April of 2003, in her honor, President Bush signed into law the PROTECT Act, which statutorily established the national AMBER Alert coordinator role. Since, the AMBER Alert™ program has been credited with more than 675 successful recoveries of missing or abducted children. The AMBER Alert Program is a voluntary partnership between law-enforcement agencies, broadcasters, transportation agencies and the wireless industry to activate an urgent bulletin in the most serious child-abduction cases.
In honor of this day, the City of Decatur is encouraging parents to create a Safety Profile for their household at www.smart911.com which can include current photos and physical descriptions of their children. According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the first three hours are the most critical when trying to locate a missing child. When a child is reported missing it can take up to an hour or more to have a current photo distributed to law enforcement officers in the field. If the family has a Smart911 Safety Profile and dials 9-1-1, their child’s photo and description will be immediately available to call-takers and can be passed on to law enforcement officials in the field, launching a search in seconds or minutes as opposed to hours.
Smart911 allows citizens to create a free Safety Profile for their household with information they want 9-1-1 and emergency responders to have during an emergency. When a citizen makes an emergency call, their Safety Profile is automatically displayed to the 9-1-1 call-taker, allowing them to send the right response teams to the right location with the right information.
For more information about Smart911, contact Fire Chief Toni Washington at toni.washington@decaturga.com or 404-373-5092.
Posted in Community, emergency management on December 13, 2013 | Leave a Comment »
As we near the start of winter, and with winter weather already affecting millions across the country, here are a few important reminders to stay safe:
For more information visit www.ready.gov/winter-weather.
Posted in Community, emergency management, Technology on November 18, 2013 | 2 Comments »
November hosts a number of health awareness campaigns, including: National Epilepsy Awareness Month, National Diabetes Month and National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month. At the same time, it’s National Family Caregivers Month, and each year more and more Americans are caring for loved ones with chronic conditions, disabilities or health issues related to old age. With this in mind, the city is encouraging family caregivers to take advantage of Smart911, a service that brings a new level of support and peace-of-mind to those with such conditions and the family members who provide assistance.
Smart911 allows individuals and family caregivers to create a free, private and secure Safety Profile at www.smart911.com, which can include any information they want 9-1-1 to have in the event of an emergency. The profile is then delivered automatically to the 9-1-1call-taker when an emergency call is made. Details in a Safety Profile allow 9-1-1 to have a better understanding of a situation and can be passed on to emergency response teams in the field to help support fast, precise action.
A Safety Profile can include such things as medical notes that enable emergency responders to approach and treat a person with Alzheimer’s, epilepsy or diabetes properly and quickly; a particularly useful feature if the person cannot communicate, is suffering a seizure or is confused. Information can also include family caregiver emergency contact details. Should someone with Alzheimer’s dial 9-1-1 and be unable to recall personal details, the Safety Profile can provide a name and exact address. If they wander away from home and a family caregiver dials 9-1-1 from a phone number included in the profile, a photo can be immediately distributed to emergency responders to expedite a search.
For more information about Smart911 and how we’re using it in the City of Decatur, contact Fire Chief Toni Washington at toni.washington@decaturga.com or 404.373.5092.
Posted in emergency management, Events, tagged crime, crime prevention, Decatur Police Department, National Crime Prevention Task Force, police, safety on November 13, 2013 | Leave a Comment »
Sgt. Jennifer Ross, Community Information & Education Officer with the City of Decatur Police Department, shares the following information:
Free 1-hour “Street Smarts Seminar” will be held at the Decatur Recreation Center on November 20th
Please join us for a comprehensive 1-hour presentation from The National Crime Prevention Task Force to learn the answers to these questions and more:
All of the highly trained instructors at The National Crime Prevention Task Force are crime prevention specialists, who receive continuous training and constantly research and evaluate current crime trends. Their research assists them in developing the best and most effective crime prevention tactics and procedures applicable to today’s lifestyle, and in eliminating outdated tactics that could prove to be dangerous in today’s world.
National Crime Prevention Task Force’s Street Smart Seminar is designed to educate in areas relating to crime prevention, personal safety and awareness. Seminar topics include:
Representatives from the Decatur Police Department will be in attendance.
When: Wednesday, November 20, 2013 from 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Where: The Decatur Recreation Center, 231 Sycamore Street, Decatur, GA 30030
Cost: FREE, but a reservation is required.
Who: This seminar is open to the public but restricted to adults, 18-years-old and up.
***To make a reservation, please call 678/553-6613 or email Sgt. Jennifer Ross at jennifer.ross@decaturga.com.
Posted in Community, emergency management on November 5, 2013 | Leave a Comment »
Tomorrow is the first Wednesday of November so we’ll be testing the tornado outdoor warning sirens at 5:00 p.m. The test should last approximately one minute. Should the weather become inclement, the test will be postponed until Thursday, 7 November 2013.
If you have questions or want more information about the siren system, check out the Siren page on the City’s website or contact the City at 404-370-4102.
Posted in Community, emergency management on October 25, 2013 | Leave a Comment »
With Halloween right aroung the corner, check out these helpful Halloween safety tips from our friends at Smart911 –
