Safety briefs

Clark County commissioners and county fire department officials were scheduled to recognize firefighters during a ceremony March 29 at Fire Station 33, 865 E. Desert Inn Road.

The awards ceremony was to honor firefighters and a resident who recently went above and beyond the call of duty to save lives.

The scheduled awards and recipients were:

n Citizen Lifesaving Award -- Tim Garcia. A co-worker collapsed in front of Garcia during a business meeting. Garcia administered CPR until firefighters arrived and took over. The patient survived thanks to Garcia's quick action.

n Distinguished Service Award -- Station 12, whose captain is Paul Youdelis, and Station 15, whose captain is Steven Broadwell. The decisive actions of the crews from these stations allowed firefighters to get through heavy smoke in a burning building and enabled them to save a woman who was trapped by smoke and fire.

n Lifesaving Award -- Firefighter Steve De Pue. De Pue was off duty and working in his garage when he heard a neighbor's smoke detector and went to investigate. De Pue found heavy smoke and a fire in the kitchen, which he put out with a fire extinguisher, then helped a woman in the house get outside safely.

n Lifesaving Award -- Firefighter Matt Houchens and Capt. John Borla. Houchens and Borla were off duty and working out at a private gym when another patron collapsed. They used a defibrillator and CPR to save the patient.

ROAD IMPROVEMENTS on Cheyenne,
Fort Apache to wrap up by June

Road improvements are under way on Cheyenne Avenue from Rampart Boulevard to Hualapai Way and on Fort Apache Road from Cheyenne Avenue to Alexander Road, according to Ward 4 Las Vegas City Councilman Stavros Anthony's office.

Final pavement milling and overlay is scheduled for completion this week on both roads, with new lane markings to be installed when paving is finished. Manhole collars will be raised level with the roadway following paving, to be completed by April 29.

A new traffic signal pole at the northwest corner of the Cheyenne Avenue/Fort Apache Road intersection should be fully installed by April 30.

Meanwhile, sidewalk upgrades are completed on Fort Apache Road and Cheyenne Avenue, and median island improvements on Cheyenne Avenue are finished. Improvements to the widened area of Fort Apache Road are completed, and similar improvements to widened areas of Cheyenne Avenue were scheduled to be done. Replacement of asphalt pavement is completed on both roads.

The entire project is scheduled for completion by the end of June.

For more information, visit lasvegasnevada.gov.

Safe business practices class
to be offered on April 21

The Metropolitan Police Department's Northwest Area Command plans to host a Safe Business Partnership class twice in April at its facility, 9850 W. Cheyenne Ave.

The first session is scheduled for 9 a.m. to noon April 21, and the second is set for 1 to 4 p.m. April 28.

The class will be an overview of safe business practices and will include free training materials. Participants will learn how to prevent and respond to crime at their businesses.

The program is free for property managers, store managers and on-site security personnel, but seating is limited, and RSVPs are required.

To RSVP, email crime prevention specialist Kathy Perkins at k2482p@lvmpd.com.

Crime Stoppers gets contribution honoring slain cab driver

Crime Stoppers of Nevada recently received a $5,000 boost, courtesy of Frias Transportation Management, in honor of 30-year-old taxi cab driver Tesfaye Arze, who was shot and killed March 4 while on the job.

Crime Stoppers and Lamar Advertising were instrumental in assisting the Metropolitan Police Department with the case.

Frias Transportation Management, a private transportation provider in Nevada, made the contribution to bring attention to the safety issues that face cab drivers and to help Crime Stoppers in its efforts to assist law enforcement agencies to make the community safer for taxi drivers and passengers, said Scott Killebrew, director of security for the company.

The contribution is a prime example of the community partnerships that Crime Stoppers works to develop in order to be an effective tool in assisting law enforcement, said Caroline Ciocca, vice chairwoman of Crime Stoppers of Nevada.

31 recruits join Police Department

A graduation ceremony was planned on March 24 to welcome 31 recruits into the Metropolitan Police Department's ranks.

The ceremony was set at The Orleans showroom, 4500 W. Tropicana Ave.

The new officers were scheduled to fill positions created through attrition, the department said.

Hispanic Citizens Police Academy
offered by Las Vegas, North Las Vegas

The Metropolitan and North Las Vegas police departments are teaming up to offer a Hispanic Citizens Academy.

This is the eighth such academy for the Metropolitan Police Department and the first for North Las Vegas' department.

The purpose of the academy is to get Hispanic citizens involved in crime-fighting efforts and allow them to meet officers from both departments. Topics include gang awareness, narcotics, domestic violence, sexual assault prevention and 911/311 procedures.

The first meeting of the academy was March 16 at the Pearson Community Center, 1624 W. Carey Ave. in North Las Vegas.

The academy marks the first time two law enforcement agencies have joined forces for such a cause.

For more information on the program, call the North Las Vegas Police Department at 633-9111 or the Metropolitan Police Department at
828-3111.