Reusable Bag Day is an educational grassroots event hosted by the Surfrider Foundation Ventura County Chapter along with local community groups. We are asking holiday shoppers and retailers to forgo single-use, plastic shopping bags in favor of reusable bags to help protect the oceans and Ventura’s beauty one reusable bag at a time.
Surfrider Foundation and City of Ventura Environmental Sustainability Division volunteers will be out front at the Vons on Main St. and Ventura Ave. near the Ventura River from 10am-Noon on Saturday December 12th handing out free reusable bags to shoppers! Get your reusable bags now and remember to vote YES on the statewide plastic bag ban referendum item in November 2016.
Plastic bag litter is one of many issues around Ventura that impacts the ocean and reusable bags help to address TMDL (total maximum daily load) limits set by the EPA. Cities and residential neighborhoods create concentrated levels of bacteria (pet waste), nitrates (herbicides & pesticides), litter, and other unnaturally occurring contaminates that can enter our stormdrains and waterways. To mitigate this, there are stormwater pollution prevention best management practices to help keep our waterways clean and free of these pollutants such as choosing reusable bags to help reduce litter.
Just before noon on Saturday, Dec.5 , in the 2000 Block of Hyland Ave a 70 year old woman was walking from her living room through a hallway when she accidentally fell through an opening to the basement that was 8 feet deep. The vertical fall resulted in multiple injuries and possible fractures of the arm, hip, and leg. The home was estimated to be built in the mid 1900’s and the basement served as a utility room for a floor heater and water heater. The only access to the space was a straight vertical ladder.
“The major difficulty was access– the room was compartmentalized with concrete supports, and we could only get one paramedic down inside the vertical shaft to provide for treatment and to place the patient in a rescue harness”, stated Fire Captain Thom Hoffmann. “There was only one way in and one way out, and the only option of getting her out safely, was to construct a hoist system in the narrow hallway system to lift the patient out.”
Firefighter paramedics splinted extremities and placed the patient in complete cervical spine immobilization in the cramped space. Advanced life support was delivered in addition to pain medications prior to moving the patient. A rescue system was assembled in the cramped hallway to create a high point in which a rope and pulley assembly could gently lift the patient vertically through the opening. It took rescuers 71 minutes to get the patient safely out of the shaft and onto the gurney.
During the fall, numerous pipes and ducting systems were compromised and it was suspected that the victim and rescuers were potentially exposed to asbestos. Firefighters provided for rapid decontamination of the patient prior to being received at the local trauma center. The patient was transported in serious but stable condition.
Due to HIPAA we are prevented from disclosing an individual’s protected health information (PHI). We may not release information regarding patient’s names, DOB, address, SS# or medical status.
On Sunday Nov.19 Ventura City Fire personnel responded to multiple, simultaneous fires reported in the general area of the NB -101 / EB-126 freeway interchange, during a period of gusty winds.Structures at a nearby mobile home park were initially reported to be threatened, prompting a full first-alarm structure fire response to that location, but were quickly determined to be non-threatened upon arrival of units in that area. First arriving engine companies responding to the reported structure fire found a large body of wind-driven fire, in heavy brush and trees, moving rapidly across the freeway interchange area. The fire was spotting well ahead of itself and across the freeway, with flame lengths up to 40 feet. Additional companies responded to a nearby downwind location where several palm trees had ignited and were casting a large shower of embers over several commercial buildings. The fire, smoke, and crews operating in the area, resulted in closures of the 101 freeway in both NB and SB directions, as well as the EB 126. The two separate incidents eventually were merged into one single incident, and through a prolonged cooperative effort, involving multiple agencies, the fire was contained and ultimately suppressed. The origin of the fire was reportedly in the vicinity of a homeless encampment and remains under investigation.
Residents of a single family home located in the 700 block of Montgomery Ave. were awakened to the smell of smoke and the sound of fire alarms in the early dawn of Nov.27.. The home owner quickly ran into the living room from his bedroom and witnessed the television set and the items on top of an adjacent hutch– on fire. He evacuated his wife and 1 year old child and grabbed an extinguisher and fought the blaze.
Ventura City Firefighters were on scene in 3 minutes and ensured the fire was completely extinguished and performed salvage and overhaul to preserve as much personal property as possible and mitigated damages. The fire remained contained to the entertainment center. Whereas the fire directly entered the wall cavity through a wall speaker, an investigation with a thermal camera discovered that the heat and smoke damage was contained within the wall due to fire blocking.
A common military phrase often used by one of Ventura’s Police Commanders, ‘Victory Favors the Prepared’, was evident this morning. An unattended candle started the fire on a credenza that spread to a speaker and television. However, based on the preparation of the resident, a complete disaster was avoided and now the emergency is relegated to being an inconvenience.
A modern whole house smoke detector system, quick access to a fire extinguisher, swift actions by the occupant, and quick response by the fire department are credited in minimizing the emergency.
The Ventura City Fire Department would like to remind residents to be careful in placing and using candles and make sure they are never placed near combustibles, nor ever unattended. Additionally, as temperatures fall and the use of heaters increase, we are asking residents to have older furnaces and floor heaters inspected, a common cause of fires in older homes.
PART 2 The first 4 mins are about Ventura and then it goes to LA if you scan forward to the 7.39 mark it picks back up in Ventura https://youtu.be/u8O0PtjnYW4
Less than 3 min promo video of the Ventura RV Park. It gives a great overview of the area that was shown flooded out in the previous videos. https://youtu.be/DuKmsEwPSr4
1998 Ventura River Flood Highlights
Shows the raging Ventura River and Matija Dam by Ventura County Watershed Protection … https://youtu.be/80HFhAvXWxc
On Nov.23, at 9:25am the Ventura City Fire Department received a report of a fire burning in the Ventura River bottom adjacent to the Ventura County Fairgrounds. Upon arrival, firefighters discovered a 75’ x 100’ fire burning in the aforementioned location. Firefighters extinguished and overhauled the fire with hand tools and water achieving full containment 2 hours after the initial report. The cause of the fire was determined to be an escaped warming fire from a nearby homeless encampment. No firefighters were injured as a result of this incident.
Just after the official start of Black Friday, at 12:40am shoppers at the Pacific View Mall reported seeing active smoke pouring from the roof at Lowe’s Home Improvement store. Active alarms were ringing and employees had yet to start their shift, thus the building was empty at the time of the alarm. First arriving firefighters made access into and on top of the building.
As firefighters made access into the building, the air was clear of smoke. Crews investigated the interior while the truck company and an additional engine company made access to the top of the building via the aerial ladder. Crews on the roof encountered a fully involved heating and air conditioning unit. Flames erupted from the unit, however the roofing material had not completely become involved in fire. The fire was knocked down in approximately 13 minutes keeping the fire contained to the forced air ventilation unit and surrounding area. A thorough inspection made sure that the fire did not spread beyond the ventilation system into the roof structure.
Initial damage estimates were $20K. The building manager arrived on scene and worked with Ventura Fire’s Prevention specialist to ensure a smooth opening for the business in the morning. There are no expected impacts beyond needed repairs to the unit. The building was left in the care of Lowe’s management.
As we age, it becomes more important to pay attention to the essential vitamins our body needs and can become more difficult if our eating habits start to decline because of medications, depression or overall decreased appetite which contributes to inadequate amounts of nutrition.
“Meal replacement shakes contain all 50 nutrients and vitamins that our body needs in addition to a minimum of 24 grams of protein ” according to Doug Ward, Manager of a local nutrition club. Surprisingly, in addition to the benefits of a meal replacement shake, it is high in fiber, low carb, low sugar, low calorie of about 300 calories per shake and has no dairy. What most people are not aware of is that only pharmaceutical grade supplements are FDA checked and like the local nutrition club, may receive a five star rating. Other meal supplements, if not a pharmaceutical grade, are only 70% accurate in nutrition and 30% are unknown ingredients in which are not inspected by FDA if not 100% of the daily essential vitamins.
Participating in a nutrition club has a benefit of providing a free wellness evaluation that will give you concrete information of what your body is lacking then continuing a follow up to discuss your overall energy levels and other areas of improvement that your body may have been lacking prior to the meal replacement.
For more information or questions please call 200-7756.
Students at the final day of filming at the afterschool enrichment program, ASSETs at Ventura High.
Educating and informing
By Elizabeth Rodeno
The second episode of ECTV, the news and information series produced by our El Camino Interns, is airing on CAPS Channel 15 this week. You can view it every Saturday and Sunday at 9:30AM. The topics include Common Core education, Ghosts and the Spice epidemic among teens in Ventura County. These students are doing what media journalists around the world do; research, ask tough questions and wrap it up in an interesting episode format. We are looking forward to the upcoming episodes. The Digital Storytelling Assets program at Ventura High School produced a great video and shared their story of the making of “The Raven”.
VC Innovates, a workforce innovation program, sponsored students from Santa Paula High to tour CAPS Media to learn about media production and bring their enthusiasm back to school. We want to share our technology and the paths to a creative career in media.
The Foothill High School’s production of Every 15 Minutes went off without a hitch. The film crew, with the support of Jamie Cawelti, Evan Carpenter and Phil Taggart, blasted through the video with great skill. The crash scene event is always exciting to see our Emergency Services team work together to show how it looks and what happens in the aftermath of a drunk driving accident.
The launch of the Ventura County News Network was well received. Go to www.vcnewschannel.com to see shows featuring Ventura County, produced by CAPS for Bill Nash, the show’s host. We have four shows in the can with more to go. It’s a fascinating look at interesting and unknown finds around Ventura County.
We provided support for the launch of the 150th Anniversary Celebration of Ventura at the County Museum with a special video of our upcoming Ventura Legacies program. A full CAPS crew was out capturing the event. Of course, the snacks were yummy too. It is going to be a year packed with events and activities to celebrate the 150th which officially happens on April 2, 2016.
Don’t forget that not only is CAPS Media capturing important events in Ventura, you, as a member, can do the same. With our professional training and gear you can get out there and make history. CAPS Media is here to create an engaged and informed community through participation in electronic media. A yearly membership is only $25 and includes training, equipment, and use of our studio and edit suites. Share your history with over 20,000 Ventura residents on channel 6 and 15. For more information go to www.CAPSTV.org or stop by CAPS Media Center on 65 Day Road and schedule a tour.
Two-year-old Jack Littell, accompanied by parents Doug and Ally, makes a royal entrance, sack in hand, to visit the Harvest Festival’s Trunk or Treat area.
First United Methodist Church of Ventura hosted and co-sponsored a Harvest Festival with Happy Ventures Pre School, which is co-located on church grounds and was held on Oct.30. A complementary spaghetti supper, activities, face painting and games with prizes, set up in Trotter Hall were a big hit.
A Trunk or Treat passing out mountains of candy was available in the facility’s parking lot. To complete the package a Haunted House, decorated and staffed by the church’s youth group was presented.
The culmination of the event was a drawing for gift bags conducted by the church’s pastor, The Rev. Jane Hetherington-Rauth. This first annual Harvest Festival was the brainchild of Pastor Jane who is new to the Ventura area.
First United Methodist Church has two Sunday services, 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. You are encouraged to visit the church’s web site, www.fumcventura.org as well as the Happy Ventures Pre School web site, www.happyventurespreschool.com.
