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Eugene Firefighters Participate in National Terrorism Drill <br />The Southern Region Team of Oregon's Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) program, including a <br />complement from Eugene Fire & EMS, responded to Portland Tuesday as part of FEMA's national <br />antiterrorism exercise, called "TOPOFF" 4 (short for "top officials"). The local firefighters were among 35 <br />team members that also included responders from Springfield, Salem, Corvallis, and Albany. The <br />Portland scenario simulated the detonation of a radioactive "dirty" bomb at the site of Portland's Steel <br />Bridge, resulting in massive casualties, an extremely hazardous rescue environment, and transportation <br />obstacles. Once on-scene, the Southern Region Team was directed to a rescue site, where they <br />performed a safety assessment, conducted a search for victims, and then deployed rescue teams to <br />extricate victims from the rubble caused by the explosion. Initial indications from FEMA evaluators were <br />that the Southern Team exceeded expectations in all three performance areas. <br />Drills of this type serve to validate the high level of readiness maintained by the area's urban rescue force <br />and the effectiveness of ongoing training for those individuals. They also demonstrate and reinforce the <br />ability of responders from different agencies to interact and perform effectively as a unit. Because of the <br />exercise, team members were able to identify potential refinements in the logistics of interagency <br />deployment to the operational staging area. Participating agencies will be reimbursed by the Department <br />of Homeland Security for the time spent taking part in the TOPOFF exercise. For more information, <br />please contact Joe Zaludek, deputy chief of Special Operations, at 682-7103. <br />Family Fiestas at Library Celebrate Día de los Muertos/Day of the Dead <br />í <br />Kids and their families are invited to celebrate Da de los <br />Muertos/Day of the Dead with Bilingual Family Fiestas at <br />the Eugene Public Library this month. <br />Family Fiestas feature stories and sing-alongs in Spanish <br />and English, plus mask-making, snacks, and new friends. <br />Join the fun 11:00 - noon, on Saturday, October 20, at the <br />Downtown Library. Come early to catch bilingual Family <br />Music Time with Jessie Marquez at 10:15, too! <br />Or, join in on Saturday, October 27, 11:00 - noon, with the <br />Family Fiesta at the Bethel Branch, 1990 Echo Hollow <br />Road. For more information, call the Eugene Public Library <br />at 682-8316 or visit www.eugene-or.gov/library. <br />ORPA Honors Eugene’s “Arts for All” Program <br />Oregon Recreation and Parks Association (ORPA) has awarded the <br />SPRINT (Section for Programming Interest) 2007 Programming <br />Award to the City of Eugene’s “Arts for All Program,” coordinated by <br />Patty Prather. <br />“Arts for All” offers individuals of all abilities an opportunity for creative <br />expression of the arts. Adaptive art tools are designed so that <br />participants with limited movement or lack of fine motor skills can <br />create group murals, design and paint original tee-shirts, create <br />painted wrapping paper and much more. <br />The Adaptive Recreation Program teaches educators, parents and <br />group leaders how to use the equipment and lends the tools to <br />schools, hospitals, residential care facilities, civic groups, service <br />clubs or arts and cultural agencies. For more information, contact <br />Patty Prather, 682-6365. <br />EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 <br />October 18, 2007 <br />