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September 2012 - Vol.05, No.09
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Events Calendar |
September 19
Mercury Thermometer Exchange and MedDrop @ Sunnyvale Senior Center
11:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Sept 22
Knock Out Litter in Sunnyvale -
Gateway Neighborhood Center and Sunnyvale PAL
9:00 - 11:00 a.m.
Ice Cream Social Immediately Following
info@sunnyvalepal.com
Sept 26
Challenge Team Meets 7:00 - 8:00 a.m.
October 4
Firefighters Peninsula Burn Relay
Olive Ave. at 8:00 a.m.
October 13
Firefighters Pancake Breakfast at Station 2, 800-11:00 a.m.
October 24
Sunnyvale Challenge Team Meets
7:00 - 8:00 a.m.
October 27
PAL'oween Dinner and Dance info@sunnyvalepal.com
October 28
Howl'oween Pet Parade http://www.downtownsunnyvale.com
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| Message from the Chief | |
It has been a very difficult month for local public safety departments. Beginning with San Jose Firefighter Frank Ryan, who suffered a heart attack while battling a three-alarm fire at St. Patrick Cathedral and ending with the tragic death of California Highway Patrol Officer Kenyon Youngstrom on Highway 680 in Alamo. Both were engaged in their primary duties, when their lives and the lives of many others were changed forever.
Although public safety members understand and accept the risks associated with their professions, it does not diminish the pain and anguish felt by the public safety professionals and the community when safety personnel are injured or killed in the line of duty. All too often a public safety member's job can be dangerous and thankless. They are constantly being faced with the unknown and unpredictable, and they never truly know the outcome of any situation they enter into.
We may never understand the senseless actions of the suspect who killed Officer Youngstrom, but we can express our sincerest gratitude for the service of Officer Youngstrom and that of all members of public safety agencies. Expressions of gratitude can be seen in a variety of formats. Some have posted sentiments through social media, others have sent cards and/or displayed mementos, and many have just honored these men through quiet remembrance and prayer. Whatever the method, the outpouring of support makes a significant difference.
Please join the members of the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety in remembering California Highway Patrol Officer Kenyon Youngstrom and continuing to support San Jose Firefighter Frank Ryan. As always, thank you for your continued support of the men and women of Sunnyvale Public Safety!
Contributions to the Youngstrom family can be made in the following ways:
At any Wells Fargo Bank branch, tellers will accept donations for the Kenyon Marc Youngstrom Children's Benefit Memorial fund.
At any Mechanics Bank branch, mention the officer's name to the teller and direct that funds be contributed to the trust account in his name.
Checks payable to "For Benefit of Officer Kenyon Youngstrom" can also be mailed to Mechanics Bank, 1350 North Main Street, Walnut Creek, CA 94596.
Chief Grgurina TEL (408) 730-7140
TDD (408) 730-7501
or email to: pubsfty@ci.sunnyvale.ca.us
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September is National Preparedness Month |
Plan for Your Risks
 There are actions that should be taken before, during and after an event that are unique to each hazard. Identify the hazards that have happened or could happen in your area and plan for the unique actions for each. Local emergency management offices can help identify the hazards in your area and outline the local plans and recommendations for each. Share the hazard-specific information with family members and include pertinent materials in your family disaster plan.
Find out from local government emergency management how you will be notified for each kind of disasters, both natural and man-made. You should also inquire about alert and warning systems for workplace, schools and other locations. Methods of getting your attention vary from community to community. One common method is to broadcast via emergency radio and TV broadcasts. You might hear a special siren, or get a telephone call, or in rare circumstances, volunteers and emergency workers may go door-to-door.
Depending upon the nature of the emergency and your circumstances, one of the first important decisions is whether to stay where you are or evacuate. You should understand and plan for both possibilities. Learn more about Evacuation & Sheltering In Place.
Make a Plan
 Your family may not be together when a disaster strikes so it is important to plan in advance: how you will get to a safe place; how you will contact one another; how you will get back together; and what you will do in different situations.
Ready.gov has made it simple for you to make a family emergency plan. Download the Family Emergency Plan (FEP) (PDF - 508 Kb) and fill out the sections before printing it or emailing it to your family and friends.
You should also inquire about emergency plans at places where your family spends time: work, daycare and school, faith organizations, sports events and commuting. If no plans exist, consider volunteering to help create one. Talk to community leaders, your colleagues, neighbors and members of faith or civic organizations about how you can work together in the event of an emergency. You will be better prepared to safely reunite your family and loved ones during an emergency if you think ahead and communicate with others in advance. Read more about school and workplace plans.
Sunnyvale Emergency Prepardness information can be found at SNAP.inSunnyvale.com |
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Avoid the 13 Labor Day Weekend Crackdown |
 California is ranked 21st in the United States for drunk drivers. Of those arrested for drunk driving last year, almost 311,000 were third time offenders and 44,210 were fifth time offenders. In the last five years, 5,127 people died as a result of drunk driving. In Sunnyvale, DPS responded to 81 drunk driving accidents in 2011.
California law enforcement has long recognized the dangers of driving intoxicated. This resulted in developing the "Avoid Campaign" in the winter of 1973 to bring law enforcement agencies together in "countywide clusters" to crack down on DUI drivers. The Office of Traffic Safety has also developed directed DUI enforcement activities and public awareness campaigns to educate the public of the dangers of drinking and driving.
Public Safety has participated in the "Avoid the 13"campaigns since its inception, and takes a zero tolerance approach to drunk driving. During the Avoid the 13 Labor Day campaign which ran from August 17 to September 3, Officers conducted directed enforcement, saturation patrols and remained visible to discourage people from operating vehicles while intoxicated; 24 arrests were made in Sunnyvale. A total of 368 DUI arrests were made in the county. Although these numbers are still too high, there were no reported DUI-related fatalities!
Public Safety also conducted a DUI checkpoint on August 31 on Mathilda Avenue at All America Way. The checkpoint was funded by a $32,000 grant awarded by the Office of Traffic Safety. Several hundred people were contacted and educated on the dangers of drinking and driving while intoxicated. Three arrests were made during this event. |
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Discover Angling |
 It was 5:30 a.m. as a crowd began to gather outside the Gateway Neighborhood Center on Thursday, August 9. Sleepy and cold, 18 youth and 6 mentors from Sunnyvale PAL and Reach Potential Movement www.reachpotential.org divided into car pool groups and drove to Half Moon Bay for an ocean fishing trip with Discover Angling www.discoverangling.com Once at the harbor, the excitement grew as the group approached the dock to board the Hulicat www.hulicat.com.
Discover Angling's Richard Kent and Gary Edwards met the group at the dock along with several volunteers who came to help out with the trip. The Hulicat's Captain Tom Matush and his crew welcomed everyone aboard and prepared the young anglers and mentors for the excursion. When the  equipment, supplies and passengers were onboard the boat, Captain Tom fired up the Hulicat and headed out to sea. Forty five minutes later, the fishermen and women dropped their hooks, lines and sinkers in hopes of snagging some rock fish off the shore of San Gregorio. Almost immediately shouts of "I got one!" began to ring out. The photographer got her exercise running from side to side of the boat attempting to capture the moment for each of the young anglers.  The Hulicat crew, Discover Angling volunteers, Reach Potential Movement and PAL mentors all assisted with baiting hooks and taking fish off the hooks. Barring a few cases of seasickness, everyone had a blast and caught their limit. The fish were cleaned and packaged so each youth was able to take fish home to share with their families.
Discover Angling provided breakfast, lunch, snacks as well as all the equipment and bait. They also had some special prizes for a few lucky anlgers - new fishing poles! The winners were Joey, who caught the most fish, Carlos who caught the biggest fish (a lingcod) and Umeth who "was the bravest." For more information about the fishing trip or Sunnyvale Police Activities League please e-mail info@sunnyvalepal.com |
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Knock Out Litter in Sunnyvale
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Firefighters Pancake Breakfast
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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
© 2010-2012 City of Sunnyvale, CA |
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