Station Fire Update for Pasadena

Pasadena is out of harm’s way at this time as the Station Fire continues to burn in the Angeles National Forest. As of today the fire is 42 percent contained.

The Pasadena Public Health Department reminds everyone that although air quality has improved today, it still remains unhealthy for people with health issues.

Schools that are in session, after-school programs and children’s sports organizations should consider limiting outdoor activities today.

Even when there is no odor of smoke, individuals with respiratory or heart disease, pregnant women, elderly persons and children should continue to take precautions when they are outside.

Results from local air monitoring indicate that air quality is most unhealthy in the morning hours but tends to improve throughout the day.

Hot weather continues but is expected to decrease slightly as the Labor Day weekend approaches. Tips for staying cool include wearing light, loose-fitting clothing, drinking plenty of water and fluids, avoiding alcoholic beverages and staying in air conditioned areas during peak hours.

For emergency preparedness information, visit www.cityofpasadena.net/disaster. For more information about preventing the health impacts of smoke, visit http://www.aqmd.gov/ej/CAC/wildfire_safety_tips.htm or call the Pasadena Public Health Department information line at (626) 744-6012.

Photo: Terry Miller, Pasadena Independent

Station Fire Update for Pasadena

The two Pasadena engine companies have returned from the Station Fire incident in the Angeles National Forest.

One Pasadena battalion chief remains assigned to the Station Fire Incident Command Center and one captain is assigned to the incident command team for the Morris Fire.

The Station Fire is expected to continue moving eastward today with moderate intensity. There is no anticipation that Pasadena homes and other structures are in danger today.

A community meeting will be conducted by the Station Fire Incident Command Team tomorrow (Thursday) at 7 p.m. at Pasadena Church of the Nazarene, 3700 E. Sierra Madre Blvd. City of Pasadena officials will be at the meeting as well.

The Pasadena Public Health Department reminds everyone to take precautions when they are outside and avoid unnecessary outdoor activities, especially people with respiratory or heart disease, pregnant women, elderly persons and children. Schools that are in session, after-school programs and children’s sports organizations are advised to cancel outdoor activities until conditions improve.

Short-term effects of ash and smoke from the fires may include irritation of eyes, airways and sinuses, coughing and/or scratchy throat, headaches and runny nose; long-term effects may include decreased lung function. Children are more sensitive to air pollution because their respiratory systems are still developing and they breathe more air per pound of body weight than adults.

High temperatures worsen the affect of poor air quality and can adversely affect the public’s health. Never leave children, elderly persons or pets unattended in closed vehicles, even with windows slightly opened, because the inside temperature can rise to life-threatening levels.

Avoid leaving pets outdoors, especially at night. Pets that appear to be in respiratory distress should be taken to an animal hospital immediately. Respiratory distress symptoms for dogs include panting and/or inability to catch their breath; symptoms for cats can be the same but are less noticeable.

Visit www.cityofpasadena.net/disaster for emergency preparedness information. For more information about preventing the health impacts of smoke visit http://www.aqmd.gov/ej/CAC/wildfire_safety_tips.htm or call the Pasadena Public Health Department information line at (626) 744-6012.

More detailed information about the fires can be found at http://inciweb.org/incident/1856 and at www.altadenablog.com.

Photo: ArroyoLover Blog

Station Fire: Pasadena Update

The Pasadena Public Health Department reminds everyone that air quality remains unhealthy today due to the Station Fire.

Everyone should take precautions when they are outside and avoid unnecessary outdoor activities, especially people with respiratory or heart disease, pregnant women, elderly persons and children.

Schools that are in session, after-school programs and children’s sports organizations are advised to cancel outdoor activities until conditions improve.

The Pasadena Fire Department has two fire engines and 10 personnel on the fire lines to assist in combating the Station Fire. They are working side-by-side with firefighters from many other jurisdictions who have been assigned to the blaze.

Flags at all Pasadena fire stations have been at half-staff in memory of Arnaldo Quinones and Tedmund Hall of the Los Angeles County Fire Department who died in the line of duty on Sunday. Pasadena Fire Department personnel also are wearing black bands across their badges in honor of their fallen brothers.

“I am immensely proud of the men and women of the Pasadena Fire Department, other city departments and all personnel from other agencies who are responding to this devastating fire,” said Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard. “Our community has a long history of rallying during times of emergency. I commend the Pasadena businesses, organizations and residents who have donated their time and resources to assist with this immense effort.”

People from evacuated neighborhoods in other communities who are staying with friends or relatives in Pasadena may need to arrange for short-term, temporary overnight parking permits. Special permits will be available beginning Sept. 2 at no cost at the city's Parking Office, 221 E. Walnut St., Suite 199. The permits will expire on Sept. 7.

Visit www.cityofpasadena.net/disaster for emergency preparedness information; visit www.aqmd.gov/ej/CAC/wildfire_safety_tips.htm for information about preventing the health impacts of smoke or call the Pasadena Public Health Department information line at (626) 744-6012.

Excellent ongoing coverage of the fire situation can be found at www.altadenablog.com. Many of our local bloggers have been posting about the fires, including fantastic photos. Take a gander at the list on the right and click away!

Photo: Pasadena Star-News

Station Fire Update for Pasadena

All Pasadena residents are advised to avoid outside activity, run air filters or air conditioners that don’t draw in outside air, monitor fire and smoke status via local news organizations and be prepared to leave homes if conditions change.

If the fire reaches antennas on Mt. Wilson and damages TV and radio transmission equipment, the Pasadena Fire Department advises residents who don’t have cable to get updates on news affecting Pasadena from www.cityofpasadena.net. Updates on nearby fires also can be found at http://inciweb.org/incident/1856, http://www.lacanadaflintridge.com and www.altadenablog.com.

As of Sunday morning, residents of the Florecita neighborhood in Pasadena were notified that they may return to their homes. However, if conditions change and evacuation orders are issued by local authorities, residents are asked to comply with the orders to prevent loss of life and ensure that firefighting efforts are not compromised.

The Pasadena Fire Department has had 10 personnel assigned to the Station Fire since last Friday.

Smoke and ash from the Station Fire are still heavy today, so everyone is advised by the Pasadena Public Health Department to avoid outside activity, especially elderly residents, children, pregnant women and people who have heart or respiratory health issues. Schools that are in session, after-school programs and sports organizations for children (such as Little League) are advised to cancel outdoor practices in areas where there is visible smoke, soot or ash, or where there is an odor of smoke. Outdoor activities should be suspended until conditions improve.

The following recommendations from Pasadena Public Health Department will help residents protect themselves and their families from harmful effects of bad air quality:

* If outdoor air is bad, try to keep indoor air as clean as possible by keeping windows and doors closed. Air conditioners that re-circulate air within the home can help filter out harmful particles.

* Avoid using air conditioning units that only draw in air from the outside or that do not have a re-circulating option. Residents should check the filters on their air conditioners and replace them regularly. Indoor air filtration devices with HEPA filters can further reduce the level of particles that circulate indoors.

* If it is too hot during the day to keep doors or windows closed and you do not have an air conditioning unit that re-circulates indoor air, consider going to an air conditioned public place, such as a library or shopping center, to stay cool and protect yourself from harmful air.

* Do not use wood-burning or gas fireplaces, candles and vacuums. Use damp cloths to clean dusty indoor surfaces. Do not smoke.

* If you have symptoms of lung or heart disease that may be related to smoke exposure, including severe coughing, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, wheezing, chest tightness or pain, palpitations, nausea or unusual fatigue or lightheadedness, contact your physician immediately or go to an urgent care center.

* When smoke is heavy for a prolonged period of time, fine particles can build up indoors even though you may not be able to see them. Wearing a mask may prevent exposures to large particles. However, most masks do not prevent exposure to fine particles and toxic gases, which may be more dangerous to your health.

All Pasadena residents and businesses should review their personal, family and workplace emergency plans and make sure their emergency preparedness kits are up to date. More information about emergency preparedness can be found at www.cityofpasadena.net/disaster; more information about preventing the health impacts of fire-related smoke can be found at www.aqmd.gov/ej/cac/wildfire_safety_tips.htm.

Due to hot temperatures, possible gusty winds and low humidity expected to fall below 10 percent for several hours today, the National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning – a higher risk of wildfires – that will be in effect in the mountains of Los Angeles County until 9 p.m. tonight.

Photo: Terry Miller, Pasadena Independent

Florecita Voluntary Evacuation Lifted

As of 11 a.m. today an advisory for voluntary evacuation of the Florecita neighborhood in Pasadena has been lifted.

Residents of the area may return to their homes and are advised to monitor local television and radio news and the city website for updates.

All Pasadena residents and businesses should review their personal, family and workplace emergency plans and make sure their emergency preparedness kits are up to date. More information about disaster preparedness can be found here or by calling the Pasadena Fire Department at (626) 744-7276.

Smoke and ash from the Station Fire are particularly heavy today, so everyone is advised by the Pasadena Public Health Department to avoid outside activity, especially elderly residents, children, people who have heart or respiratory health issues, and those whose immune systems are compromised.


Photo: Crown City News Blog

Be Smart During the Heat and Smoke

Here's the latest Pasadena alert.

Please note that shortly after I sent this news release out, Pasadena added more to the team that is responding to the Station Fire. There are now two engine companies plus one battalion chief. (In layman's terms that's two fire engines with four personnel assigned to each, plus one battalion chief.)

Photo: Pasadena Star-News

Mystery History -- Solved

Dianne wins!

In this 1949 photo, mothers have brought their little ones to the well baby clinic at Pasadena Public Health Department. The department was established 117 years ago and has been serving community health needs ever since.

Pasadena is one of only three cities in California with its own public health department (the other two are Berkeley and Long Beach) and therefore is not under the jurisdiction of the L.A. County Public Health Department. Thank your lucky stars for that!

Many thanks to Pasadena Public Library for the photo.

Beat the Holiday Blues

With so many parties and festivities, the holiday season can by joyful and special, but also overwhelming and stressful.

Winter depression, also known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), affects many with feelings of sadness, loneliness and irritability at this time of year.

If you or someone you know seems to be experiencing extended sadness, fatigue, lack of energy or increased abuse of drugs or alcohol during the holidays, the Pasadena Public Health Department urges you to call a medical or mental health provider right away.

There are plenty of local resources, including Pasadena Healthcare Link, a 24/7 information line at (626) 744-7445 that can help you find the assistance you need.

Our Recovery Center, an outpatient drug prevention and treatment program, is also available at (626) 744-6001.

Happy Halloween!

For the second year in a row, City of Pasadena departments, divisions and sites were invited to compete in a Halloween lobby-decorating contest.

The judges (including yours truly) went at noontime to the various lobbies. It was a real hoot!

And the winner is: The Environmental Health Division of the Public Health Department.

One of that division's responsibilities is restaurant inspections, so the employees transformed their lobby into a restaurant called Hell's Kitchen...

...with ghoulish waitresses in blood-stained aprons (one was named Salma Nella)...

...and code violations that would make even the most seasoned restaurant inspector run for cover!

Patrons could choose a cute little fishie right out of the tank!

The restaurant inspection report for Hell’s Kitchen:

Drive-through Flu Shots

Yep, that's me in the photo.

City of Pasadena employees work with the public every day, so it's important for us to get annual vaccinations to prevent us from contracting and/or spreading the flu to constituents and each other.

In the past, I always went up to Pasadena Public Health Department for my annual vaccination. This year, for the first time, they conducted a drive-through clinic at the City Yards for hundreds of employees.

We came through in personal cars..


...city-owned vehicles...


...bicycles...


...and some parked on Mountain Street and walked through.


Even a couple of Pasadena ARTS buses were deployed to transport groups of employees from City Hall to the Yards.


For most of us, it was a simple matter of driving through, showing our official city ID, filling out a short form and getting the shot, all without having to get out of our vehicles.

Influenza strikes one in five people, causes 200,000 hospitalizations and 36,000 deaths annually in the U.S. Are you at risk? You are if you're among any of these groups:

* pregnant women
* children from 6 months to 19 years old
* adults 50 and older
* anyone with a chronic medical condition
* anyone who lives in a nursing home or long-term care facility
* anyone who lives with or cares for someone at high risk for flu complications.

Call your health care provider to arrange for the vaccination, or plan on attending one of these clinics in November when Pasadena Public Health Department will offer low-cost vaccinations to the public.

Wednesday, Nov. 5
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Pasadena Senior Center
85 E. Holly St.
685-6724.

Wednesday, Nov. 12
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Villa-Parke Community Center
363 E. Villa St.
744-6530.

Wednesday, Nov. 19
10 a.m. to 2 p. m.
Jackie Robinson Center
1020 N. Fair Oaks Ave.
744-7300.

Many thanks to Joy Guihama of Pasadena Public Health Department for the photos.

Anatomy of a Press Conference

I've organized press conferences for 32 years. We conducted one today. Here's a behind-the-scenes look at how it works.

It begins with an issue. Make sure it's worthy of a press conference and will resonate with reporters and the public.

Location, location, location. Decide the best place for the conference to be conducted -- a site that reflects the issue. 

Then there's the planning. Who should speak? What should be included in the press kit? What are the logistical issues associated with the site?

The devil is in the details. Microphone, lectern, backdrop, visuals, table for press kits, chairs, sign-in sheet, permit if necessary, alternative in case of rain (if it's outdoors).

Burn the midnight oil. Research the issue and write the materials: key messages, media alert, news release, fact sheet, etc. Then send everything out for review by all the powers that be and revise as necessary.

Alert the media! A media alert serves as the announcement of the press conference. It's short, sweet and to the point with details such as the issue and why it matters, date, time, place, speakers, parking, and main point of contact.

Meet with the Team. Go over the final key messages (some call them talking points but I don't like that term) and determine which should be covered by which speakers. Discuss the order of the program. Make sure everybody's comfortable with who's on first.

Serve as the MC. Thank everyone for coming, introduce the issue briefly, announce the speakers and then turn it over to the them. Come back to the lectern to field Q&A and wrap the whole thing up.

Do the follow-up. When you get back to the office, send out the news release to all media to ensure that those who couldn't attend have the info. Double-check the websites of reporters who attended the press conference and email the links to speakers and the boss.

Here's how it worked today at 10:30 a.m.:

The issue is that there's a proposal on the table in Sacramento to once again balance the state budget off the backs of municipalities. The state is looking at a loophole in the law that could make it easy for them to shrug their responsibility and let cities pay the price. In Pasadena, public health will potentially suffer as a result.

A large room at Pasadena Public Health Department was chosen as the site. I led off the press conference as MC.



Mayor Bill Bogaard was the first speaker.



Then Bernard Melekian.



And Dr. Takashi Wada, our public health director.



The last three speakers were Mary Donnelly-Crocker, executive director of Young & Healthy, which is a community partner of Pasadena Public Health Department; Jacquelynne Jones-Corby, district representative of Senator Jack Scott; and Adam Carter, district representative for Assemblyman Anthony Portantino. Scott and Portantino are standing with cities on this issue.

Steve Mermell, our director of finance, was standing by to answer questions involving dollars and cents.

Reporters from several news outlets were there, plus Dr. Wada did a phone interview with KFWB prior to the press conference.

The Pasadena Star-News had an article posted online just three hours after the press conference was over. Janette Williams does quick work!

Many thanks to Joy Guihama and other staff at Pasadena Public Health Department for their assistance in the logistics, creating the fact sheet that was part of the press kit and providing these photos!

Here's the news release I wrote, which was part of the press kit and was also sent out later today after the press conference.