Prevention

The National Day of Suicide Awareness will be observed in South Lake Tahoe at the Suicide Prevention Network's 2nd annual Emily's Walk for Hope on Saturday, September 8 at 10:00 a.m. at Lakeview Commons.

Emily’s Walk for Hope was founded last year by longtime local, Susan Alessi who lost her daughter Emily Ann Alessi to suicide in 2014. The purpose of this walk is to honor her life, to remember those around us lost to suicide and to help end the stigma surrounding suicide.

Over the last several months there has been a great deal of wildland fire activity around the region. Sadly, most fires are human-caused and completely preventable if the public would take the time to better understand conditions that are favorable for fire starts. Fire prevention is the key to keeping our communities and forests safe from wildfire.

Although fire season is now considered a year-round event, wildfires mostly occur in the late summer and early fall when temperatures are still high, humidity is low and vegetation that can feed a wildfire is extremely dry.

South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue welcomed four new firefighter paramedics to their family during a pinning ceremony at the airport Thursday. They also celebrated the promotion of Kevin Van Kirk to Engineer and honored retired Batalion Chief Tim Spencer.

"Fire service is really about family," said Chief Jeff Meston and he opened the ceremony. "This is a special day for South Lake Tahoe."

He explained how tough it is to get a new firefighter on board. There are tests, boards and interviews.

Trees on the 46.52 acre Lake Tahoe Airport property will soon be removed as required (and overdue) by the California Department of Transportation Division of Aeronautics. It has been 11 years since trees have been removed on the property and there is increasing threat into the navigable airspace at north end of runway from trees. The aircraft that frequent the airport would be unable to takeoff with the increased growth.

For the past five years, the department has issued letters of correction to remove multiple tree obstructions on the runway.

With lightning and thunderstorms in the Lake Tahoe forecast for another few days, it's always good to review safety tips when caught in the middle of a storm.

You can protect yourself from risk even if you are caught outdoors when lightning is close by.

Safety precautions outdoors

- If the weather forecast calls for thunderstorms, postpone your trip or activity.
- Remember: When thunder roars, go indoors. Find a safe, enclosed shelter.

The Meeks Bay Fire Protection District is holding their 50th annual Pancake Breakfast on Saturday, July 7 and Sunday, July 8 from 8:00 a.m. to noon each day.

This is a hearty breakfast spread (pancakes, sausage, applesauce) that supports local California State Parks and the Meeks Bay Fire Protection District. T-shirts and raffle items available for purchase. Smokey the Bear will be there as well as fire prevention activities.

The pancake breakfast will take place at their fire house, located at 8041 Hwy 89 in Meeks Bay.

It has been a very tough and tragic week, with the passing of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain, and because of their suicides and a report released by the CDC, NAMI ((National Alliance on Mental Illness) El Dorado County is seeing an increase in phone calls from the community.

Suicide rates have been rising in nearly every state, according to the latest Vital Signs report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It is the 10th leading cause of death and is one of just three leading causes that are on the rise (behind diseases of the heart and Cerebrovascular diseases).

Placer County health officials have confirmed that a man who died on the North Shore of Lake Tahoe tested positive for hantavirus.

They said the resident likely contracted the virus from rodents in a private residence in the Lake Tahoe region where the resident lived and worked. Health officials do not believe the public is at ongoing risk from the source of infection associated with the fatality.

The students at South Tahoe High School (STHS) hosted their first Mental Health Faire on campus for both students and staff during school on Monday, May 7.

A new club on campus started by the El Dorado County chapter of The National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI) organized the event, bringing the community and school together to help reduce the stigma of mental illness. Approximately 1 in 5 youth aged 13–18 (21.4%) in the U.S. experiences a severe mental disorder at some point during their life.

The annual joint board meeting with the Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) and Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) to discuss common goal strategies was held Tuesday, will innovative programs and successes highlighted.

The Commission on Aging for El Dorado County is currently seeking a new member to fill one vacancy. The Commission strives to attain a balanced geographic representation and applicants are being sought from all areas of the County, including South Lake Tahoe. Preference will be given to individuals aged 60 years and older.

Washoe County Sheriff’s Office Deputies participating in a Nevada Department of Public Safety Joining Forces Distracted Driving prevention campaign this month cited more than 80 drivers for speeding and 43 drivers for cell phone use.

Joining Forces is a multi-jurisdictional law enforcement program that promotes statewide enforcement in the areas of: DUI, distracted driving, seat belt, and speed and pedestrian safety. The goal of these enforcement campaigns is to save lives by increasing public awareness about the dangers of making poor choices while driving.

Over 3,300 confirmed cases of the flu have been reported to the Washoe County Health District this flu season, leading to at least seven fatalities. These numbers have health officials urging everyone to take preventive measures to keep from contracting the nasty virus now circulating across the country. Of particular concern is this season’s H3N2 influenza virus which appears to be extremely virulent among young children and older adults.

Natural disasters can occur at any given time and in any given area. The size, duration and damages are usually unpredictable. The devastation, destruction and cost of California wildfires are increasing annually.

Have you had your flu shot yet? This might be the time to get it if not as the flu bug has made its way across the county. Health departments in Carson City, Douglas and Lyon counties are reporting many more cases of influenza this year than the same time last year, and Washoe County residents are being hit hard.

More than a dozen reports from the public about a phone scam prompted the Washoe County Sheriff's Office to issue an alert.

The callers claim to be a person's grandchild and they are in need of financial assistance because they're in jail, or have been involved in an accident. It is not unusual for scammers to use personal information about a potential victim’s family members in order to sound credible. This type of information is often easily obtained via the Internet or social media.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - To show nature is the best medicine, Barton Health and the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) have partnered together to give the community Wellness Outings.

Patients will have access to the forest through a guided outing with a USFS ranger and physician or nurse.

In addition to Wellness Outings, the partnership will provide wellness and injury prevention training for USFS rangers and firefighters, as well as accessibility of public lands to promote outdoor recreation.

Several viral meningitis cases have been reported from Susanville and Reno to El Dorado County.

As of November 2, 2017 a total number of four confirmed cases have been identified at Ponderosa High School in Shingle Springs and one confirmed case has been identified at El Dorado High School in El Dorado.

The school district has notified parents of the situation and extra cleaning has been done at the schools. Public Health is working closely with school staff and has notified county health care providers.

Cooler nights are prompting residents to start burning wood in the fireplaces and stoves, and proper disposal of the remaining ashes are important in preventing fires in trash cans and yards.

The Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District has partnered with Kingsbury Hardware again to provide ash cans to the homeowners of the Fire District for the safe disposal of hot ashes. This program is available free of charge to those residents who are part of the district who use a wood burning appliance to heat their homes.

Before that question can be answered, we need to understand what a mega fire is. To be a mega fire it needs to meet these five points:

1. Starts near or in a high fire danger area during approaching or actual red flag conditions,
2. Escapes the initial attack,
3. Develops into a campaign fire covering a large area,
4. Requires thousand of firefighters and extensive additional resources to bring final containment,
5. Often cause huge property and other cultural losses in addition to vegetation destroyed.

Every parent wants to provide a safe and healthy environment for their child. El Dorado County Health and Human Services Agency, Public Health Nursing is hoping to increase awareness among parents about the hidden dangers of lead exposure to children. October 22 through October 28, 2017, is National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week.

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. - Helicopters, fire trucks, K-9s and demonstrations are just a few of the activities planned for 23rd annual Fire Fest on Saturday, September 30, 2017 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. outside the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Lake Tahoe.

Admission is free and the event is a great opportunity for families to have fun while learning about safety and conservation.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Tahoe Youth and Family Services announced today that Christopher Croft has officially resigned his position as Executive Director effective November 15, 2017. He has served the communities of South Lake Tahoe, Douglas County and Alpine County in this position since June 10, 2014.

The following 90 businesses took out business licenses with the City of South Lake Tahoe during the month of July, 2017 (spelling of the business names is taken directly from the City's website):

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4-SEASONS DECOR
A STERLING AFFAIR
ARTIST TO YOU - METAL ART
BAKER HOME PRODUCTS
CALVIN LEE CLOTHING STORES
DESERT PARADISE CLOTHING
GERALD DEWEY SALES
HENERY'S NIGHT LIGHTS
PS DESIGN
ROYAL OIL MFG
STEVEN LN PROPERTY
SWEET FEATHER
SWEET JEAN'S NUTTY GOURMET
THOMAS PHOTO ARTS

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4LEAF INC
KOA ARCHITECTS
OUR ART'S DESIRE LLC

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CLASSIC CUT LAWN CARE