Archive for April, 2009

I drove home via the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge yesterday and saw them doing another prescribed burn. I know that the fires are supposed to a good thing, but I feel badly for the animals who no longer have homes to return to!

Here are some pictures:

We started class out today with Sergeant Paul Novotny who taught us about the use of force in law enforcement. He bravely volunteered (read: lost the coin toss) to demonstrate the use of a taser. Now, apparently there is a way to shorten the normal 5-second taser cycle, but unfortunately, Paul was not so lucky! I’ve never seen a taser hit up close, and I hope I never am at the receiving end of one. When the taser if activated, two lines with fishhook-like barbs are shot at the person. The lines carry an electrical current that interferes with the body’s electrical circuit and drops the suspect.

We also learned that while deaths do occur from tasers, generally this happens in cases where there is an underlying medical condition that would have caused the person to die even without the taser shot.  In the case of the Minnesota State Patrolman who tasered a man who died, we never heard any follow up from the media never regarding the autopsy report and laboratory tests that showed the man was whacked out on drugs.

The last speaker of the day was John Olsen, the Sherburne County Emergency Services Director. He has a lot of experience in many diverse areas, including Business Admin and Marketing Degrees, 15 years with the Zimmerman Fire Department, and Sherburne Jail Captain.

We started out with a video of the Hugo tornado. My sister-in-law’s family was affected by that tornado, so the video hit home. Then John Olsen gave us an overview of the Emergency plans and systems of Sherburne County. He actually wasn’t due to speak until May 12. I thought it was ironic that he presented today in light of all of the Swine Flu fears that have arisen over the last couple of days. Sherburne County has many contingency plans in place and that is comforting.

John walked us through an imaginary disaster scenario that might take place in our neighborhoods and we talked about what we would do. All families should have a disaster plan and emergency kit. I am a big believer in this and I will be doing future posts on the topic.

Here’s a snapshot of one of my Tennessee grandbabies!

Who can tell me what this picture represents?

Answer: This is Google in Morse Code in honor of Samuel Morse’s birthday!

Dave and I attended a one-day licensing course and test session today in Elk River. The event was sponsored by Sherburne County Amateur Radio Emergency Service (SherCo ARES).

As part of our Storm Spotter training last month, we also had to become licensed amateur radio operators. The class today was well-organized and Mike Steckelberg, the instructor, provided the information in a way that made it very easy to learn. We spent the day going over the 10 different sections of material that would be covered on the test, and then had breaks in between to study our test-prep handout.

The examiners came in and administered the test right before 4:00 pm. The test consisted of 35 multiple-choice questions and after spending all day preparing, was pretty easy.

Now, the next step is to figure out what kind of radio we need!

If you didn’t figure it out yet, we both passed!

Some of the material we had to study!

Yikes–there’s a lot to know!

Our class taking the licensing exam.

Mike Steckelberg (standing) and the examiners (from left to right)

John Smolenski, Boaz Erickson, Greg Ogden, and Ken Carlson.

Our class met Tuesday at the Sherburne County Law Enforcement Center and Jail facility in Elk River.

Captain Dan Andren began by giving us an overview of the jail system and procedures. We went on a tour of the various offices and departments and took a close look at the Sgt. Jim Mordal’s firing range, Sgt. Jason Volkers’ training room with a mock cell set up,  and the physical fitness center.

Jail Commander Pat Carr and Major Brian Frank gave an excellent presentation on the jail. We watched a video on the importance of jails in the community, how the public can influence decisions that are made, and why citizens should be aware of important issues so that they can make informed recommendations. We saw a slide show of the Sherburne jail. I am very impressed with the high level of technology available to our law enforcement officers and emergency personnel in Sherburne County. The meeting room we met in is also the Emergency Operations Center that can be quickly activated when necessary, such as an event at the Monticello Nuclear plant. There are computer workstations available for all of the various groups that would take part in handling an emergency. We also saw the less-lethal weapons that would be used to control inmates who were causing problems.

The last thing we did was to tour the jail itself. Our group was led by Jail Administrator, Angela Knutson. We saw two different pods were inmates housed. Things work the same way as they do with raising children–they more well-behaved they are, the more priviledges they receive. One benefit the jail staff has is that their reputation precedes them–the inmates pass the word about consequences for bad behavior and most inmates think before they act!

One of the most intriguing places we visited was the Control Center where all of the operations of the jail are monitored and where the doors are controlled. There are 173 security cameras in the complex, so escaping would definitely be difficult! The jail has a capacity of 667 inmates, so a well-defined protocol is necessary to keep things running smoothly.

I was not able to take pictures of the more sensitive areas of the jail, but here are some of the ones I did take:

We were out driving and took this picture of Orrock’s Town Hall:

The Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge hosted the Spring Bird Tour on Saturday, April 18. We met at 8:00 am at the Old School House. Barb Kull led our group. She has been a volunteer at the Refuge for many years. I found a cool article about her on the Princeton Union Eagle website. She had tons of stories and facts about the birds, like how the parent birds taught the call to their “kids.”

We stopped first at Old School House Pool. We saw and listened to an Eastern Meadowlark. We went to the  wetland area on the west side of County Road 5 where we saw several Ringneck and Bufflehead ducks. We then went through the Wildlife Drive together. There were some very knowledgeable people and they were very helpful in explaining the different aspects of bird watching. I am new to this, so I had a lot of questions about the best equipment, what to look for, best bird guides and what calls the birds make. Here are some of the pictures I took. Click on each photo to view a larger size:

The next event will be Migratory Bird Day at 7 am and 8:30 am on May 9, 2009.

See the Friends of the Sherburne NWR site at: http://www.exploresherburne.org for more information.

After seeing the damaged caused last week in my former city of Murfreesboro, this is very timely information to review.

From Sheriff Joel Brott’s April Newsletter:

Did you know…About 1,000 tornadoes touch down in the United States every year?

Make sure you and your family are ready for severe weather -

Plan, Prepare, Practice, and Stay Informed

• Plan – Create a plan for your family.
• Prepare – Put together an emergency supply kit for your family.
• Practice – Make sure your family members know what to do in an emergency.
• Stay Informed – Listen to radio and television stations for updated storm information.

During a Tornado Watch

• Stay tuned to radio or TV for updates.
• Be prepared to take shelter at any time.
• Watch the sky for funnel-shaped clouds and pay attention to tornado danger signs including dark, greenish sky, large hail, and a loud roar similar to a freight train.
• Stay out of large, flat buildings with wide-open areas such as supermarkets or shopping malls.
• Stock your home shelter area with a flashlight, a battery-powered radio, extra batteries, water, and a first-aid kit.

During a Tornado Warning

• Head for the designated shelter or a central area on the lowest floor of a nearby building.
• In a high-rise, get to the lowest floor possible and go to an interior room.
• Leave vehicles and mobile homes at once. Seek shelter in a sturdy building.
• If you are caught outside, lie flat in a ditch and cover your head. Do not get under bridges or overpasses.
• Never attempt to outrun a tornado.

After a Tornado

• Watch out for debris—especially broken glass—and down electrical lines.
• Be careful when entering a tornado-damaged structure. Make sure the walls and roof are in place and the foundation is sound.

Resource: Sherburne County Are You Ready Workgroup

We purchased three very nice maple trees from Steve last fall. So far they are doing excellent. Steve was very helpful in answering our questions and delivered the trees himself. We were very pleased with their business and customer service. We also took a peak at Debbie’s puppies while we were there. I tried to wheedle Dave into getting one, but he wouldn’t budge! The puppies were all adorable and obviously well-cared for. I haven’t given up on David yet!

The new planting season has started, so we visited Steve at his Nursery to see the new shrubs and trees. They are having their bareroot sale going on now.