City Council Newsletter - 01/04/07

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New Year’s Eve Fire Inspection Program Eugene Fire & EMS suppression companies along with staff from the Fire Marshal’s Office conducted fire safety inspections at various local restaurants, bars and nightclubs on New Year's Eve, in an effort to make the evening’s revelries as fire-safe as possible. This is the department’s third year of involvement in the New Year’s Eve Fire Inspection Program. The 31 target occupancies were located in the University of Oregon campus area, the downtown area and the West Eugene area. The Fire & EMS crews successfully worked with business owners and managers to mitigate any potential safety concerns, such as capacity issues, to ensure that exit-ways remain unlocked and not obstructed, and to confirm that there was no use of pyrotechnics planned to celebrate the New Year’s arrival. The business owners were notified in advance of the inspection program, and all of them willingly worked with Eugene Fire & EMS crews to provide this important proactive service to the community. This year, a total of 20 minor code violations were detected, and all were resolved without delay. For more information, please contact Acting Fire Marshal Doug Perry at 682-7100. Kids Discover Braille in January at Eugene Public Library Most people read with their eyes – but that’s not the only way to do it. At free Eugene Public Library programs in honor of Braille Literacy Month, kids in grades 1 - 6 will learn about Braille, and meet a real live guide dog. Guest presenter Mary Otten will show how people who are blind use their fingers to read. Otten's guide dog, Nashville, will be on hand to demonstrate how guide dogs “see” for their owners. Plus, kids will play games that use their senses, and find out what their own names feel like in Braille. Catch this fun, informative program on Wednesday, January 10, 4:00-5:00 p.m., at the Bethel Branch; Thursday, January 11, 4:00-5:00 p.m., at the Downtown Library; or Saturday, January 13, 2:00-3:00 p.m., at the Sheldon Branch. For more information, and to learn about the wide variety of Library programs for children, call the Eugene Public Library: 682-8316. City Acquires Fire Safety Video in American Sign Language A DVD presenting home fire safety information in American Sign Language has been made available to the Eugene Fire & EMS Department via the Oregon State Fire Marshal's Office. The 26-minute DVD, titled "Fire Safety for You at Home," was prepared by the Fire Protection Publications Department at Oklahoma State University. Production was funded by a federal grant. OSU subsequently made copies available nationwide. Eugene Fire has ordered 10 copies of the video, which will be made available to individuals and groups in the community through the Eugene Public Library, Human Rights Commission, and Eugene Fire Marshal's Office. The video is accompanied by a packet of information titled "Social Etiquette -- Tips for Firefighters Who Work with People with Disabilities," which will be distributed to all department staff as part of the City’s ongoing social awareness training. For more information, please contact Public Information Officer Glen Potter at 682-7118. Petersen Barns Gets “Chicken Coop” The old, rundown “white shed” used as valuable storage space at Petersen Barn Community Center recently received a major makeover by a local Boy Scout. Ben Cryer of Troop 679 used the deteriorating white shed as his Eagle Scout Project. The results were so outstanding that several Recreation staff members who work at the Barn asked if they could move in. Ben used materials donated from Allied Roofing, IB Roofing, Costal Farm Supply, Roofline, and Jerry’s to re-roof and re-side the Chicken Coop and to add a nice farm-style trim. He painted the building red with white trim to match the barn style, making it fit right in with the complex of farm buildings. A big thanks from Barn staff goes to Ben and his fellow volunteers from Troop 679. For information or a quick tour, contact Craig Smith at 682-6340. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 3 January 5, 2007