Culver City Observer -

Fire Department

• Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter – The Fire Department recently launched official Facebook (fb.me/CulverCityFD) and Twitter (@CCFireDept) accounts to better connect with the Culver City community. Stop by and say, “Hello.” 

• Ambulance Operator Program – Following weeks of extensive training and mentoring, the Culver City Basic Life Support (BLS) Ambulance recently went into service, staffed with two Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs). The Ambulance Operator Program cost-effectively improves the Department’s response reliability, as the volume of EMS-related calls in Culver City continues to increase. In Fiscal Year 2014-15, the Department responded to 4,119 EMS-related calls. The Ambulance Operator Program supports the Department’s response capabilities and helps serve a greater number of patients with pre-hospital care and transport.

Uniformed Ambulance Operators in front of BLS 3 at the City’s Training Facility/Drill Tower

• Paramedic Graduation – Congratulations to Firefighter/Paramedic Brett Nagel on his completion of Paramedic School. Firefighter/Paramedic Nagel participated in the Paramedic Training Institute’s six month program. The program includes over 1,100 hours of work, comprised of lectures, labs, hospital based clinical studies, and a field internship.

Firefighter/Paramedic Brett Nagel in front of Rescue 1 and at a Multi-Casualty Incident Simulation during Paramedic Training

• September is National Preparedness Month – Check in at http://www.fb.me/CulverCityFD and follow us on Twitter at @CCFireDept throughout the month of September for more information. Also, remember to sign up for Nixle, the City’s emergency notification system. To sign up for phone, email, and text alerts, visit http://www.nixle.com. Or, simply text your zip code to 888777 from your cell phone to receive local alerts through Short Message Service (SMS).

Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department

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• Volunteer Opportunities - There are many upcoming volunteer opportunities in the Culver City community. Please contact Jill Thomsen in the volunteer office at 310-253-6722 or via email at jill.thomsen@culvercity.org for more information. Some volunteer opportunities include the following activities:

o Shoes for the Homeless shoe sorting event on Saturday, September 12 from 2 pm to 3. Help prepare donated shoes be ready for delivery to shelters and facilities.

o Park cleanup at Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook off Jefferson on Sunday, September 13 from 8:30 am to- 10:45 am. This family-friendly workday will focus on habitat restoration, with an emphasis on invasive plant removal. Children ages eight and older are welcome (with a legal guardian) are welcome to participate.

o Coastal Cleanup Day is Saturday, September 19 from 9 am to noon. Culver City is home to five sites. Culver City joins over 12,000 volunteers from all over Los Angeles County at different sites to take action to rid our beaches and inland waterways of unsightly harmful debris.

• The Culver City Senior Center at Golden Future EXPO – The Culver City Senior Center will have a booth at the Golden Future 50+ Senior EXPO at the Veterans Memorial Building on Saturday, September 19 from 10 am to 3 pm. This event is a celebration and recognition of Baby Boomers and seniors, who are 50 and older. The EXPO will highlight such issues as nutrition, health, wellness, retirement, housing, education, advocacy and much more. Admission is free for this one-day event, which features local and national companies with products and services with a 50+ emphasis.

• Job & Resource Fair for Young Adults – The Culver City Department of Parks, Recreation, and Community Services is co-sponsoring a Job & Resource Fair for Young Adults in partnership with the California Employment Development Department on Thursday, September 17 from 10 am to 3 pm at the Veterans Memorial Building. This event is open to all job seekers. Participants are asked to dress for success and bring a resume as there will be opportunities to meet and interview with employers, receive training and career information, and attend workshops. Please call 323-290-5162 for more information or to register.

Police Department

• Back to School Meeting at Harvest Community Church- On August 8 Lieutenant Aubrey Kellum attended this event to help deliver backpacks to area children before the new school year. This event was conducted by Pastor Nelson of the Harvest Community Church.

• Community Event at the Vintage Faith Church - On August 15 Lieutenant Kellum and several day watch officers participated in this event. This event was hosted by Pastor Matt Kladnick, and it was held so that all local community members could meet and get to know each other.

Public Works Department

• Help Preserve Culver City’s Urban Forest – California is experiencing severe drought conditions. The lack of rain, along with strict water conservation measures mandated by the State and municipalities, is having an adverse effect on our urban forest. Water is an essential nutrient for a tree’s survival and without it, trees will either respond adversely as a defense mechanism or experience a decline in health and vigor in ways such as broken limbs/branches, shedding of berries, rotting of trunks, etc. Other symptoms to look for in trees that could be suffering as a result of the drought include, but are not limited to:

• Wilted foliage

• A sparse canopy of off-color and undersized leaves

• Leaf scorch (dark coloration of leaves)

• Yellowing

• Leaf drop (fruiting)

• Premature fall coloration

Many residents and property owners have been proactive and have converted the parkways in front of their residences to drought tolerant landscaping to conserve water; but this can lead to insufficient water necessary for the trees. Mature trees that are accustomed to regular lawn watering will continue to require some water during this time of drought. As a result, residents and property owners are encouraged to water the trees located in parkways either via irrigation systems or hand-watering in accordance with the City’s irrigation schedule outlined in the water conservation ordinance. If hand-watering, please avoid over-watering so that the parkway does not over-saturate and runoff on to the curb. Additionally, caution should be taken to avoid watering too much at one time since it can cause the tree to soak up too much water at once and possibly cause limb breakage. As a general rule of thumb, deep infrequent watering of the soil is preferable to frequent shallowing watering. An ideal frequency would be once per week, but the soil should be checked to make sure it is completely dry before watering.

Additionally, an El Nino event appears likely for the region this coming winter. An overabundance of water following a long period of drought may result in some trees taking too much water at once and result in adverse health risks for the tree as described above. By supporting trees with some form of irrigation now, this risk will be reduced while also helping to enhance the vitality of trees during this period of dryness. Thank you in advance for helping to preserve Culver City’s urban forest.

• Hazard Mitigation Plan Collaborative Development – The City of Culver City and the Culver City Unified School District (CCUSD) are preparing a Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan (MJHMP). The MJHMP identifies and presents a strategy to reduce the City's and CCUSD’s vulnerability to the impacts of natural hazard events such as earthquakes, floods, and wildfires and to reduce or eliminate the risk posed by those threats to break the cycle of repeated destruction by natural hazard events. Members of the public are encouraged to take a moment to complete the following survey to help the City/CCUSD understand the community’s concerns about natural hazards:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CulverCityHazardMitigationPlan

In addition, a public meeting/learning event will be held on Thursday, September 24 at 7 pm at the Culver City Senior Center located at 4095 Overland Avenue in Culver City. The meeting will provide the community with an opportunity to learn more about the MJHMP, review the progress achieved up to that point in time, share opinions and concerns regarding natural hazards, ask questions and to provide feedback. Everyone is invited to attend.

For more information, visit http://www.culvercity.org/hazardmitigationplan

• Over 65 Residents Participated in Home Upgrade Tour – The City of Culver City is partnering with The Energy Network to help homeowners see first-hand how Culver City homes can become energy and water efficient. On August 16 more than 65 residents took an opportunity to walk through a 1940 Culver City home and view several upgrades that had been installed using statewide Energy Upgrade California® Home Upgrade rebates, including wall insulation, duct sealing, air conditioner, tankless water heater, and windows. Other green improvements included drought tolerant landscaping, drip irrigation, and low flow showerheads and faucets. The upgrades not only make the home more energy and water efficient, but provide more comfort, better air quality, and greater resale value.

Tour visitors were given a map of the home which pinpointed the home’s upgrades. Photos of each of the measures were included on signage so that visitors could see what they looked like, even if they were not immediately visible (such as attic insulation). The home’s owners answered questions about their efficiency upgrade experience, and Program Representatives provided information and flyers on how to get started with the Home Upgrade process.

Visitors concluded their tour with refreshments and a simple, three-question quiz which confirmed the most important message from the event: Home Upgrade rebates can help residents take the next step toward more comfortable, healthy living. This event was part of the City’s 100 Healthy Homes Campaign to encourage 100 homeowners to begin their own energy efficient home upgrades using statewide funds before the end of 2015.

The Energy Network is administered by Los Angeles County and funded by California utility ratepayers under the auspices of the California Public Utilities Commission. For more information about The Energy Network workshops or the Culver City 100 Healthy Homes Project, contact the Energy Network at (877) 785-2237 or email homeupgrade@theenergynetwork.com.

• New Speed Feedback Signs in Culver City – Speed Feedback signs are being installed at four locations to address excessive speeds on approach to roadway curvatures and/or changes in roadway slope.

1) Southbound Buckingham Parkway near Windsor Way;

2) Northbound Buckingham Parkway near Kensington Way;

3) Southbound Overland Avenue at Deshire Place; and

4) Northbound Playa Street at Playa Court.

The purpose of the feedback signs is to cause a behavioral change by informing drivers traveling at an excessive speed by displaying it in 15" tall numbers so that drivers, being aware, can reduce their speed.

When an approaching vehicle is traveling five miles over the posted speed limit, the sign flashes the message "SLOW DOWN." During field observations immediately after installation, the signs were effective and causing the desired change: drivers traveling 5 mph over the posted speed who saw the message to slow down, reduced their speeds -- the feedback sign's display reflected the reduction in speed.

The effectiveness of the speed feedback signs at the four locations will be reviewed periodically over the next six months.

• Construction Updates

1. Golden State Water Company will be installing a new water main on Vera Way, Stevens Avenue, and on Playa Street near Hannum Avenue. Traffic will be affected in the southbound direction on Playa Street. Please use alternative routes such as Sepulveda Boulevard.