Halloween Safety Tips for Kids
- Trick or Treat while it's still light outside.
- Wear a costume that makes it easier for you to walk, see and be seen.
- If you must go at night, be sure to where a light colored costume and carry a flashlight.
- Use make-up instead of a mask.
- If wearing a mask, remove it before crossing the street.
- Cross the streets only at corners. Try using crosswalks when you can.
- Go with an adult or older sibling.
- Wait until you get home to sort, check and eat your treats.
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Volunteer
Highlight -
Bob Gundrum
Sunnyvale Amateur Radio Services (SARES) Emergency Coordinator, Bob Gundrum has a solid background in emergency response, both in his career and continued history of public service. Bob retired after a 30 year career as a police and fire dispatcher. Soon after retirement in October 2001, he became affiliated with the County Office of Emergency Services as an Assistant District Emergency Coordinator and in April 2003 he was named to lead SARES as SARES Emergency Coordinator (EC). A dedicated volunteer, Bob is also: a charter member of the Fire Associates of Santa Clara Valley, a group of dedicated volunteers that provide vital rehabilitation service for all fire agencies in Santa Clara County; a Volunteer In Fire Prevention (VIP) with Cal-Fire, assisting in communications at major fires in Cal-Fire areas of coverage; and also as Assistant Fire Information Officer (AFIO) at the Morgan Fire Media Center. Additionally, Bob has followed his love of trains and became a Volunteer Amtrak Station Host, assisting the Amtrak staff at San Jose Diridon Station, in both answering questions for train travelers and making sure the travelers get to their train prior to departure. Bob is a roll model for volunteer public service.
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Your Local Sunnyvale Crossing Guard
Name: Theresa Mellen
Intersection:
Danforth Drive and Quetta Avenue
School: Cumberland Elementary
Helpful Hints:
"Listen to when the crossing guard says that it is okay to walk." |
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Explorer of the Month
Jeff Lyon has been a member of the Sunnyvale DPS Explorer Post since March of 2009. He is currently a 15 year-old sophomore at Fremont High School.
Jeff has volunteered at several Explorer events, including the most recent SDPS D.U.I Checkpoint. He recently became CPR/AED certified through the American Heart Association.
Jeff's most notable achievement was completing the 2009 Explorer Academy held at the South Bay Regional Training Center in San Jose. Great job Jeff!
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Off Duty...
PSO Bradley Miltano runs marathons in his spare time. |
SUNNYVALE DPS UPCOMING EVENTS
October 25
Sunnyvale Pet Parade & Fair
October 28
Challenge Team
Meeting
October 28
Family Fun Night
Columbia Neighborhood Center
October 31
Halloween
NOVEMBER
School Presentations -
Internet Safety (6th Grade)
(408) 730-7140,
TDD (408) 730-7501
Daylight Savings
Check smoke Detector Batteries
November 11
Veteran's Day
November 27
Thanksgiving
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For questions and comments about the Sunnyvale  DPS newsletter Beyond the Badge, you can e-mail us at:pubsfty@ci.sunnyvale.ca.us
© 2008-2009
City of Sunnyvale, CA
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Message from the Chief
Each October we ask the Sunnyvale community to join us in recognition of National Fire Prevention Month. Last weekend, we opened Fire Station 2 for our annual "Firefighters' Pancake Breakfast," as a way to encourage people to think about being fire safe in their homes.We hope our hundreds of attendees walked away with a better understanding of how important it is to take steps now to prevent fires later. We try to highlight the importance of changing smoke detector batteries, to never leave the stove top unattended, and to prepare exit routes in case of a fire; but this year we really want to make sure we educate our community on the idea that you never, ever barbeque on a wooden deck surface.If you will recall, last year 16 units in an apartment complex on Morse Avenue were lost due to a fire that started with an unattended barbeque on a wooden deck. Luckily no one was hurt, but the lives of so many were disrupted. Not only is it dangerous, California law now makes barbequing on a wooden deck illegal.One last idea I want you to consider this month is to support our fire prevention education efforts in our schools. Each year we teach our very youngest in the classroom, and we invite them to visit a local fire station. As parents, we ask that you reinforce our efforts by having the conversation with your own youngsters: talk about dialing 911 to report a fire or medical emergency, talk about your family evacuation plan, and let the children help you change the batteries in your home smoke detectors - all good lessons that can save your family's life.Chief Johnson(408) 730-7161, TDD (408) 730-7501, or email at pubsfty@ci.sunnyvale.ca.us |
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Working with the Community 
Sunnyvale Public Safety Joins Forces with TipNow
Now the public can send anonymous text messages to the police. Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety (DPS) has joined forces with TipNow to allow police to accept text messages and e-mail communications anonymously from the public. TipNow does not replace 9-1-1 service, but is best used to send tips regarding non-emergency suspicious activity or crimes under investigation. The key aspect of TipNow is its ability to encrypt the tipster's cell phone number or e-mail I.D., thereby guaranteeing the anonymity of the user. Sunnyvale DPS is the first police agency to launch the TipNow service. The public can send a text or e-mail message to SVTIP@tipnow.org to report what they are seeing or to provide information about a case police may be investigating. The TipNow system encrypts the reporter's cell phone number or e-mail and then forwards the tip on to the police. Investigative personnel can then access the message and determine the best course of action. The public can even attach photos and videos to the tip. "We are very excited about the system," says Chief Don Johnson , "We really think this will be a great tool for some of our middle-school and high-school-age adolescents and young adults in the City. This is also a tremendous application for our special needs populations, especially those individuals with hearing or speech difficulties." |
| K9 Quest Retirement
On August 19, 2009 officers from the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety, along with officers from the Santa Clara Police Department met in the patio of DPS headquarters to celebrate the retirement of one of Sunnyvale DPS most successful K9/Handler teams. PSO Christopher Fontaine and K9 Quest served as a K9 team for almost 9 years. This was PSO Fontaine's second K9 partner.
Quest was 18 months old when he came to the department in 2001. He quickly got up to speed with his already experienced handler in patrol tactics, narcotics detection and working with the SWAT team. The combination of an excellent K9 and an accomplished handler proved to be incredibly successful. The presence of a good number of officers from Santa Clara PD, including some Command Staff highlighted the appreciation that has been present even outside our agency.
Quest had been dealing with some back issues after many years of being an active patrol dog. The following is from his activity log written by a proud handler: "Quest was injured and retired during this r/p [reporting period]. His final call he located 2 hiding suspects during a commercial burglary. After the apprehensions, Quest continued to search a large commercial building without complaint. At the end of the search he had to be lifted into his patrol car. He ended his career honorably."
PSO Fontaine is currently assigned to Fire Services. As he gets reacquainted with the Fire Division, Quest is transitioning into home life at the Fontaines' household. |
Fire Associates of Santa Clara Valley
Although not directly affiliated with the Santa Clara County Fire Department, Fire Associates of Santa Clara Valley, Inc., a volunteer organization, have provided support since 1969 at multiple alarm fires, drills and exercises to all fire departments in the Santa Clara valley area. Affiliated with the International Fire Buff Associates (IFBA), Inc., the Fire Associates maintain three Fire Support Unit canteen vehicles which respond to alarms, supplying rehab support, coffee, cold drinks, etc. to firefighters. Fire Associates provide much needed support at critical events throughout Santa Clara County. Their assistance allows first responders to focus on specific tasks, while supporting on-scene rehabilitation efforts. In addition, many of the members of the Fire Associates support organization are deeply involved within the Sunnyvale Amateur Radio Emergency Services (SARES) group. SARES provides critical communication networks during local disaster events, such as earthquakes, floods, etc. This group has also provided assistance to local law enforcement agencies during critical missing person search efforts. The Fire Associates are always looking for volunteers to assist them. The Fire Associates blog, with incident reports and photos, can be visited at http://fascv.blogspot.com. |
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Fire Academy Graduation
On September 24, 2009, the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety graduated the 18th Joint Fire Academy. With every Joint Fire Academy (JFA), the participating agencies change. The participating agencies in this 18th class of the JFA were Moraga-Orinda, Mountain View, Milpitas and Sunnyvale.
During the fire academy, the students learn among many other things, fire suppression, auto extrication, ventilation and search & rescue techniques. Along with classroom work and practical exercises, the students must learn how to trust one another and the meaning of teamwork.
Now that the class has graduated, four Bay Area cities have new firefighters who are starting their careers that will put what they have learned to the test in helping to keep residents of their respective cities safe.
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DPS Appreciation Events
During the month of September DPS personnel were treated to two special appreciation events:
- Atria Senior Living hosted a Patriot's Day Appreciation Breakfast on September 11.
- Belmont Villages hosted a delicious police, Fire and EMS Appreciation Barbecue Lunch.
Cathi Dovico of Belmont Villages with DPS personnel
Both events offered wonderful opportunities for Public Safety staff to meet and interact with staff and residents at each facility.
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