Fire authority’s
new life-saving equipment put to
use immediately
New vehicle extrication equipment purchased recently by the Sonoma Valley Fire & Rescue Authority was used within days of being put into service. New hydraulic spreaders, cutters, rams and power units used to free persons trapped after a vehicle crash were purchased as part of a $96,315 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety.
“The Sonoma Valley Fire & Rescue Authority is committed to providing the highest level of rescue service possible,” said Interim Chief Steve Marler. “Your chance of surviving a traffic collision requires a quick, efficient and safe rescue operation. This equipment helps tremendously in making that possible.”
The new equipment replaces older, outdated tools on three first-response fire engines. The state-of-the-art equipment is lighter, easier to use, interchangeable and allows firefighters to use multiple tools simultaneously. Most importantly, this equipment will assure faster access to patients and decrease the delivery time of patients to appropriate care facilities.
This equipment was used to free six trapped, critically injured victims of a motor vehicle crash just two days after the equipment was put into service. This resulted in all patients arriving at appropriate care facilities in a timely manner.
“The first hour following a car crash is the most critical in terms of saving lives,” said California Office of Traffic Safety Director Christopher J. Murphy. “These tools will go a long way to helping Sonoma residents reach the care they need faster.”
Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
City seeks volunteers for city commissions
The City of Sonoma is seeking applicants to serve on several city commissions. In addition to openings for regular positions on two commissions, the city also is seeking applicants for “alternate” positions on each commission. New guidelines for the participation of alternates at commission meetings and for the appointment of alternates to regular positions when vacancies occur have been proposed and will be considered by the city council. These changes are expected to result in a more satisfying experience for alternate commissioners. City residents may serve as regular members or alternates on the commissions. Nonresidents may serve only as regular members, not as alternates. Interested citizens are invited to apply for the following positions: • Traffic Safety Committee: Three regular and one alternate. (One of the regular positions need not be a city resident) • Community Services and Environment Commission – one regular and one alternate. (Regular position need not be a city resident.) • Planning Commission – one alternate position. • Cultural & Fine Arts Commission – one alternate position. • Design Review Commission – One alternate position. Additional information may be obtained by contacting City Clerk Gay Rainsbarger at 707.933.2216.
Hospital board praises coalition’s recommendations
The Sonoma Valley Hospital Board gave a ringing endorsement at its May 30 meeting to the Sonoma Valley Health Care Coalition and promised to vigorously pursue the coalition’s two proposed sites for a new hospital: in-town near the current facility and on the southeast corner of Broadway and Napa Road. So enthusiastic was the hospital board that it gave its endorsement even before coalition member Gary Nelson made a PowerPoint-style computer slideshow presentation to the board. “That was the most effective presentation that I ever made,” Nelson joked before he began his presentation. Of course, board members had already received the coalition’s report several weeks ago. Nelson touched upon such points as the fact that both sites recommended by the coalition would be inside the city of Sonoma’s urban growth boundary. Initially, that wasn’t the case with the Broadway site, but the coalition reconfigured the site after discovering new parcels were for sale inside the boundary. Board member Mike Smith said that without the coalition’s work, he didn’t think that the hospital would have been able recently to pass its parcel tax. Meanwhile, board member Bill Boerum said that he and hospital chief executive officer Carl Gerlach met with an out-of-state developer named Tim Miller who Boerum said has experience and expertise building health care facilities in California. “We are exploring that as a possibility,” Boerum said. Board president Dick Kirk added that any private developer proposing a partnership to build a new hospital would be asked to provide the same information as was Cirrus Health. That Dallas, Tex.-based hospital company had proposed to build a Sonoma hospital, but pulled out, citing differences with the hospital board.
Sonoma artists
win award
Sonoma Valley jewelry artists “Fritz” Pearce and Mischell Maldonado were selected from hundreds of applicants to receive the Merit Award for the 2007 Buyers Market of American Craft at Baltimore, Md. The award is designed to help emerging artists successfully enter the wholesale marketplace. Pearce and Maldonado teamed up in January of 2004 and collaborate on designs incorporating gold, silver, diamonds, natural gems, and pearls. Their work is currently on display at the Spirit of Stone gallery in the Mercado on First Street East.
