Working with the Community
2008 Peninsula
Firefighters' Burn Relay
On August 21, 2008, both antique and state-of-the-art fire apparatus from departments around the Bay area participated in the Annual Peninsula Firefighters' Burn Relay. Each year, the parade of rigs stages at Moffett Field and travels to Sunnyvale DPS, continuing then from fire department to fire department until they reach Foster City.  Rigs line up on Olive Ave. in front of DPS Headquarters for the Burn RelayAt each agency stop, representatives from the Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation (AARBF) receive ceremonial checks representing funds raised on their behalf throughout the past year.
Sunnyvale DPS and the Public Safety Officers Association (PSOA) raised $4,417 at the annual Firefighters' Pancake Breakfast last year. The PSOA contributed $1,000 toward the breakfast as well as an additional $500 donation to the Burn Foundation. The total raised along the relay this year was $92,000. 
DC Tim Carlyle and Lt. Shawn Ahearn present ceremonial checks on behalf of DPS and PSOA. They are joined by 49ers Gold Rush Girls Rachel and Allison, and Linda a participant of AARBF's Champ CampFor more information about the AARBF, visit www.aarbf.org or phone 1-800-755-BURN. This year's Sunnyvale Firefighters' Pancake Breakfast is Saturday, Oct. 11 from 8 a.m - 11 a.m. at Fire Station 2 on the corner of Wolfe Road and Arques Avenue. For more information about this annual event, please phone (408) 730-7140, TDD (408) 730-7501. |
National Night Out
 Sunnyvale DPS, City Council, and City staff members get out and meet residents on National Night OutOn August 5, the City of Sunnyvale participated with local neighborhoods to join forces with thousands of communities nationwide for the 25th Annual National Night Out crime and drug prevention event.  PSO Finn explains features of the fire rig to neighors during National Night Out |
Your Local Sunnyvale Crossing Guard
Name: Ms. Willy Visser Sunnyvale Location: Intersection of Danforth Drive and Hollenbeck Road
(near Cumberland Elementary School) Goal: "To help prevent falls, I always remind the children to walk when they cross the street."
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STAFF HIGHLIGHT - DID YOU KNOW? Rudy Charles, DPS Support Services Staff, has donated his hair annually to Locks of Love since 2000.  Rudy Charles before donation...Typical donations have been 16 to 18 inches per donation, but the most Rudy has donated was 28 inches. His most recent donation was 24 inches.  ...Rudy Charles after!
Locks of Love is a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children under the age of 18 in the United States and Canada who are suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis. The prostheses provided help to restore children's self-esteem and confidence, enabling them to face the world and their peers. For more information on Locks of Love go to: www.locksoflove.org |
SUNNYVALE DPS UPCOMING EVENTS
SEPTEMBERSchool Presentations
Meet the Officer (K-8th grades),Gang Awareness (6th grade)
(408) 730-7140, TDD (408) 730-7501 September 23
Parent Project begins
www.parentproject.com Register at (408) 730-7140, TDD (408) 730-7501
OCTOBERSchool Presentations
Drug Awareness (5th grade)
(408) 730-7140, TDD (408) 730-7501 Saturday and Sunday, October 4-5
Sunnyvale Annual Auto Extrication Saturday, October 11Firefighters Pancake Breakfast: 8 a.m. - 11 a.m.Station 2 (408) 730-7140, TDD (408) 730-7501 Week of October 18-26
Red Ribbon Week NEED LINK Wednesday, October 29Sunnyvale Challenge Team meeting
Friday, October 31Halloween |
For questions and comments about the Sunnyvale DPS newsletter Beyond the Badge,  you can e-mail us at: pubsfty@ci.sunnyvale.ca.us
© 2008 City of Sunnyvale, CA
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 Message from the ChiefI thought it might be beneficial to use my column this month to tell you a bit about how your Department of Public Safety (DPS) is organized.
Let me start by emphasizing that Sunnyvale is unique in our service delivery model--Police, Fire and Emergency Medical are all under one roof. Each officer is trained in all three disciplines, and in fact, switches from Police to Fire routinely. This means each officer attends three academies to learn the basics and participates in ongoing training to maintain proficiency. For you, the customer, our model means you get the most highly qualified professional at your door when you report a police, fire or medical emergency. Our department structure lends itself to a flexible and agile assignment of officers. Each January we allow officers to request assignment to Police or Fire, and we allow them to bid for a particular shift. Somewhere between 20 to 25 percent of the officers rotate annually, and another handful rotates sometime during the year. My goal is to try to keep careers balanced at the 5, 10, 15 and 20 year marks. We also have many specialized work units which typically require a bit more in-depth training. These specialized units include everything from motorcycle traffic enforcement officers, neighborhood resource officers (who focus on schools), fire prevention inspectors, evidence technicians, detectives and hazardous materials technicians. There is plenty of variety and so much to do that it often gets difficult to "make the math work". In all, there are 210 officers. In addition, 74 support people perform jobs ranging from dispatching to emergency preparedness to acting as a liaison with the courts to billing for our response to false alarms. It is quite a department: one headquarters building, six fire stations, a fire prevention and education office, and soon to come--a new DPS sub-station right in the middle of our new shopping center. Our budget is more than $64 million dollars annually. Considering that we respond to 45,000 police emergencies and 8,500 fire and emergency medical services calls a year, I really believe our value is strong. When compared to similar cities, our response times are faster, our crime rates are lower, and our overall operating costs are less. In this issue, I think it is important to pay attention to the work and the individuals that are highlighted. I think you will agree that we have many great programs up and running and that our people are providing exceptional services to our community.Chief Johnson
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Sunnyvale's 12th Annual Auto Extrication Workshop Training grounds at Station 2 will again hear the sounds of cutting saws, hydraulic pumps, and screeching metal as firefighters and rescue technicians from Northern California take part in the City's 12th Annual Auto Extrication Workshop on October 4 and 5. Proficient use of powerful hydraulic cutting and spreading tools, stabilization of tipped or overturned crushed cars, and safe lifting of heavy vehicles to free trapped patients are just a few things firefighters will learn at the workshop. DPS will again partner with LN Curtis, a fire equipment supplier and training provider to host this year's training. Instructors will provide intensive hands-on training for over 100 students. Participants will earn 14 hours of Continuing Education credit and a State Fire Marshal Certificate. Today's vehicles might be safer for the occupants, but they also present greater hazards to the rescuer. Air bags have explosive charges, electric and hybrid cars carry strong electric currents. Rescuers need to understand how to safely dismantle these cars. The workshop focuses on firefighter safety with an emphasis on learning several tools and techniques to disentangle damaged vehicles to rescue trapped persons. A three hour lecture on Saturday morning emphasizes new vehicle technology, air bag safety considerations, and high strength metals used in vehicle construction. On Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday, the hands-on sessions occur. Students are separated into small groups where vehicles are methodically dismantled to safely remove trapped simulated patients. The workshop is widely respected in the fire service industry and solidifies Sunnyvale DPS as a regional resource and auto extrication authority. 
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International Walk to School Month
International Walk to School Month is scheduled for October. International Walk to School Month gives children, teachers, parents, Sunnyvale Public Safety Officers and community leaders an opportunity to celebrate the many benefits of walking. The event encourages physical activity, in addition to reducing traffic congestion, pollution and traffic violations near schools. Several Sunnyvale schools including: Cumberland, Fairwood, Cherry Chase and Manuel Vargas will participate by holding Walk to School Day events. Contact individual schools for their event plans or, for more information in general about International Walk to School Month, visit www.iwalktoschool.org. Reminder: As part of our "Safe Way to School" program, Public Safety has created maps for each school in the City that shows where the crossing guards are located on the streets around the schools. You can find the maps at: Safeways.inSunnyvale.com.
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PSO Robin Smith and Colt
K-9 Unit Update
Our newest K-9 handler and dog are PSO Robin Smith and Colt, a 2-year old German Shepherd from Czechoslovakia. Colt arrived at DPS trained in basic obedience, searching, and tracking.
On July 7, the team began a four-week long basic handler class. Afterwards, they will attend a three-week field training program. Upon completion of field training, their duties will include tracking and searching for lost persons, suspects, and evidence. Typical areas PSO Smith and Colt might be required to search include: buildings, fields, vehicles, and creek beds. The cost of a dog and basic training is about $10,000.
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Sunnyvale Amateur Radio Emergency Services (SARES) Field Day
Over the past year, the news has been full of reports of ham radio operators providing critical communications in emergencies. Some of those emergencies include: the California wildfires, Oregon and Michigan storms, tornadoes, and other events world-wide. During Hurricane Katrina, amateur radio was often the only way people could communicate.
 Sunnyvale Amateur Radio Emergency Services (SARES) is a group of volunteer amateur radio operators (hams) that work with Public Safety's Office of Emergency Services to handle communications in the event of a local communications disruption during a catastrophic event. SARES members practice weekly to ensure that they, and their equipment, are always ready.
Once a year, SARES and other amateur radio organizations all across the country participate in a "Field Day" exercise where they quickly set up portable communication equipment, and associated portable power generation, to demonstrate that they can reliably communicate with each other without the use of phone systems, the internet, or any other infrastructure that can be compromised in a crisis.
 This year, June 28-29, SARES members set up a multi-radio equipment complement in Raynor Park with good results. Communication was demonstrated for a full 24-hour period with 199 other ham groups all across the country, including Alaska and Hawaii.
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