Area Briefing, Jan. 14-20

SURVIVAL CLASS TO SHOW PARTICIPANTS HOW TO HANDLE ASSAILANTS

A Split Second Survival Clinic is planned from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 25 at the City Athletic Club, 7980 W. Sahara Ave. A lunch break is set for noon to 1 p.m.

Participants can learn how to survive an attack using simple techniques. The course, to be presented by Las Vegas Tang Soo Do, will teach skills that can help a victim from being abducted. The clinic does not focus on fighting but emphasizes techniques for disarming or escaping an assailant.

Participants do not need to be physically fit, organizers said. The cost is $199, and registration is required at lvtsd.com/register/default.aspx. Participants must be 16 or older, and 16- and 17-year-olds must have a parent’s or guardian’s consent.

For more information, call 702-677-1267.

NEVADA TRAFFIC FATALITIES DECLINE SLIGHTLY IN 2013

Nevada’s departments of public safety and transportation recently reported that 259 lives were lost on Nevada roads in 2013, a decrease of three deaths from 2012.

In Clark County, there were 183 traffic fatalities in 2013, compared to 172 in 2012, including a 150 percent increase in bicycle-related fatalities. Annual Nevada traffic fatalities have generally trended downward after reaching an all-time high of 432 in 2006, state officials said.

Nevada traffic and safety advocates continue to put enforcement, engineering, emergency medical and educational strategies in place to cut the yearly traffic fatality average in half by 2030, according to state officials. The goal is zero fatalities on Nevada roads.

New safety measures implemented in 2013 include enhanced signage at rural and urban intersections, heightened zero-tolerance traffic enforcement on Interstate 15 from Las Vegas to Primm, initial testing of larger milepost signage for quicker emergency response and periodic posting of traffic fatality numbers on freeway signs to raise traffic safety awareness.

For more information, visit zerofatalitiesnv.com.

NORTH LAS VEGAS POLICE RECEIVE FUNDS FOR GPS DEVICES

The Nevada Department of Public Safety, Office of Traffic Safety awarded the North Las Vegas Police Department $5,000 in grant funds to replace nine global positioning devices affixed to marked police motorcycles.

Traffic officers rely heavily on GPS units to respond to calls quickly and safely without occupying valuable air time on the radio. Due to the conditions these units are exposed to, the life expectancy of a GPS unit is three years.

The department’s current units are more than 5 years old, and many are not operable.

The new GPS units are waterproof and resistant to fuel spills and ultraviolet rays. The devices are equipped with lane assist, featuring a 3-D junction viewer that depicts junctions and interchanges along patrol routes.

Traffic officers equipped with the devices are expected to operate more efficiently and deliver better service.

FIRE DEPARTMENT RECEIVES STUFFED ANIMALS FOR TRAUMA TEDDY PROGRAM

The Clark County Building Department recently donated teddy bears to the Clark County Fire Department for its Trauma Teddy program.

Firefighters and other first responders give the stuffed toys to children at fire, emergency medical service and vehicle accident scenes. Some of the teddy bears also will be donated to area hospitals and nursing homes.

About 150 stuffed animals are collected each year as part of the effort.

For more information, visit clarkcountynv.gov.

CHILD SAFETY PROGRAM PLANNED IN HENDERSON

The University of Nevada Cooperative Extension plans a child safety and welfare program at the Valley View Recreation Center, 500 Harris St., Henderson.

The four-week session is scheduled for 3-5 p.m. Wednesdays beginning Jan. 15.

The program is designed for parents to increase their awareness of Shaken Baby Syndrome, child abuse, anger management and positive guidance.

Learning materials are available in English and Spanish.

For more information, contact Olga Soto at 702-257-5567 or sotoo@unce.unr.edu.

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.

January is also National Radon Action Month, and the Nevada Radon Education Program plans a presentation at 6 p.m. Jan. 16 at the Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road, where free test kits are scheduled to be available.

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.

INFANT AND CHILD CPR CLASSES AVAILABLE AT UMC

University Medical Center is set to offer an infant and child cardiopulmonary resuscitation class at 2 p.m. Jan. 23 and 9 a.m. Feb. 1 at the Family Resource Center, 1120 Shadow Lane.

The class requires a $10 deposit that is refunded during the session.

For more information or to register, call 702-383-2229.

SAFETY GROUPS TO DISTRIBUTE SMOKE DETECTORS, BATTERIES

Public safety officials plan to distribute smoke detectors, batteries and information about installing the devices.

Las Vegas Firefighters Local 1285 and American Red Cross of Southern Nevada volunteers are set to go door-to-door to distribute the materials. Areas will be targeted based on their potential for fatal fires, organizers said.

The goal of the initiative is to hand out 1,500 smoke detectors to homes in the Las Vegas area through Jan. 20, when the event is set to target the neighborhood surrounding Fire Station 1, 500 N. Casino Center Blvd.

For more information, visit redcross.org/nv/las-vegas or iafflocal1285.org.

SITE TO ACCEPT USED COOKING OIL THROUGH JAN. 15

The Clark County Water Reclamation District has announced the return of its holiday cooking oil recycling program.

The Springs Preserve, 333 S. Valley View Blvd., plans to collect the used cooking oil from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Jan. 15 in the south ticketing parking lot.

Residents should use a funnel to pour the used oil back into the original container before bringing it to the Springs Preserve. Funnels are set to be available from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Clark County Water Reclamation District, 5857 E. Flamingo Road.

Smaller amounts of used cooking oil should be put into a can and disposed of in the garbage. The website paininthedrain.com explains how to can used cooking oil.

Used cooking oil gets recycled into biofuel, used for fueling trucks, buses and other vehicles. More than 3,500 pounds of used oil were collected last year, officials said.

The program is a component of the Don’t be a Pain in the Drain outreach campaign, aimed at decreasing the amount of sewer blockages and overflows caused by fat, oil, grease and grit disposed of in drains by customers.