Area Briefing, Feb. 4-10

THE RAPE CRISIS CENTER TO MARK 40 YEARS WITH HEALING HEARTS 4K/8K

The Rape Crisis Center is scheduled to celebrate its 40th anniversary with the Healing Hearts 4K/8K at 8 a.m. Feb. 15 on the Lake Path at Sunset Park, 2601 E. Sunset Road. Participants also can walk between 1 and 2 kilometers.

The Valentine’s Day-themed event is set to include music. Those who wish to enter a drawing for prizes can create posters at the event to raise awareness about rape and sexual assault.

Registration is $40 for the 4K or $48 for the 8K. To register, visit rcclv.org/events.

FIRE STATION 29 TO HIGHLIGHT HEART HEALTH AT FEB. 8 OPEN HOUSE

The Clark County Fire Department plans an open house from noon to 3 p.m. Feb. 8 at Fire Station 29, 7530 Paradise Road.

Firefighters are scheduled to conduct demonstrations of hands-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation at the event in honor of the American Heart Association’s designation of February as Heart Disease Awareness Month.

The American Heart Association is set to participate in the open house, offering heart-healthy educational materials. Other organizations slated to attend include the American Red Cross of Southern Nevada, Nevada Child Seekers, the Trauma Intervention Program of Southern Nevada, the Division of Emergency Management & Homeland Security, Nevada WebIZ, United Healthcare and the Metropolitan Police Department’s McGruff the Crime Dog. The Clark County Fire Department’s safety house and Captain-B-Safe inflatable firefighter character also are set to be on hand.

The department hosts open houses with community partners every other month on Saturdays at its fire stations. The next open house is slated for 8:30 to 11 a.m. April 12 at Fire Station 20, 5865 Judson St., where a pancake breakfast is planned.

For more information, visit clarkcountynv.gov/depts/fire or call 702-455-7311.

SHRED YOUR DOCUMENTS

A free shredding event is scheduled from 10 a.m. to noon Feb. 8 in the south parking lot at Ansan Sister City Park, 7801 Ducharme Ave.

Document shredding is limited to five boxes per vehicle.

For more information, call 702-229-6405.

GROUP OFFERS DISCOUNTS ON SPAYING, NEUTERING

The Animal Foundation is celebrating National Spay & Neuter Month in February by offering discounts on spay/neuter surgeries for pit bulls, pit bull mixes and cats.

Surgeries cost $50 for pit bulls and pit bull mixes and $20 for cats during the Pitties & Kitties Spay & Neuter Promotion.

To make an appointment or for more information, call 702-384-3333, ext. 137.

MUNICIPAL COURT ADMINISTRATOR SOUGHT

Applications are due Feb. 18 for those wishing to become the Las Vegas Municipal Court’s administrator.

Candidates are asked to apply at agency.governmentjobs.com/lasvegas/default.cfm. Those who possess the most relevant qualifications will be invited to participate in subsequent steps in the selection process, including a comprehensive background check and an in-person interview.

The court administrator is responsible for planning and managing the Municipal Court’s operations, including the alternative sentencing and education, criminal and traffic divisions. The administrator must also coordinate assigned activities with other city departments and outside agencies.

The position oversees a Municipal Court staff of 150 employees and manages a budget of more than $21 million.

CITY SEEKS LIFEGUARDS, WATER SAFETY INSTRUCTORS

The city of Las Vegas has immediate openings for certified lifeguards and water safety instructors.

Applicants must be at least 16 and possess current certifications in lifeguarding, first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation and automated external defibrillator use. The hourly pay is between $9 and $11. Tryouts and interviews will take place each month until positions are filled, the city said.

Interested candidates should call the Las Vegas Municipal Pool at 702-229-6309 to schedule an interview or apply at lasvegasparksandrec.com.

Those who are not certified but are interested in becoming seasonal or career lifeguards can take the city’s pre-lifeguarding skills and American Red Cross lifeguarding courses.

Each two-week pre-lifeguarding skills course is held at the Municipal Pool, 431 E. Bonanza Road.

The 25.5-hour American Red Cross lifeguarding course is provided at three locations: the Municipal Pool, the Pavilion Center Pool and Baker Pool. Participants must be at least 15, pass prerequisite tests on the first day of class and attend each session to obtain certification.

Advance registration for all classes is required at lasvegasparksandrec.com or in person at any year-round city pool or recreational facility.

Details on course schedules, fees, prerequisites and learning materials can be obtained at lasvegasnevada.gov/files/splash_for_cash.pdf or by calling the Municipal Pool at 702-229-6309.

RAPE CRISIS CENTER EXPANDS OUTREACH IN 2013

The Rape Crisis Center last year educated more Clark County School District students on how to stay safe, counseled more individuals and families affected by sexual assault and experienced significantly greater visitation to its newly revamped website, according to executive director Daniele Dreitzer.

In 2012, about 1,200 individuals and families received counseling services. In 2013, that number grew to more than 2,000, a 66 percent increase. Staff members also provided one-on-one counseling services to 371 victims in 2012 and 455 in 2013, an increase of more than 22 percent. This was largely due to the expansion of the Signs of Hope Counseling Center, which is slated to expand again in 2014, including providing counseling in Spanish for victims and their families, Dreitzer said.

The number of victims seen in person at University Medical Center saw little change between 2012 and 2013, staying near 600. In 2013, more than 3,000 calls were received by a team of volunteers who man a 24-hour hotline year-round. That number is 1,000 fewer than in 2012, when more than 4,000 calls were made.

Dreitzer said the reduction in calls to the hotline may be a reflection of more services being accessed online.

For more information, visit rcclv.org or call 702-385-2153.

FREE RADON TEST KITS TO BE AVAILABLE THROUGH FEB. 28

Free radon test kits are scheduled to be available through Feb. 28 at University of Nevada Cooperative Extension offices and partner sites statewide.

Radon, a radioactive, colorless, odorless gas that comes from the ground, accumulates in homes and can cause lung cancer.

The Cooperative Extension, 8050 Paradise Road, Suite 105, has been working to raise awareness of the dangers of radon in the home since 2007 and has distributed radon test kits since 2008. Since that time, more than 16,000 homes have been tested in Nevada, and results indicate that one in four found potentially hazardous radon levels.

For more information, visit the Nevada Radon Education Program website at radonnv.com, call the radon hotline at 888-723-6610 or contact Nevada Radon Education Program director Susan Howe at robertss@unce.unr.edu or 775-336-0248.