The Connection

It was supposed to run from 10 a.m. – noon, but the Senior Safety Summit held at the McLean Community Center was so chock-full of interesting and important information that the program ran over by almost 90 minutes – and most of those in attendance stayed glued to their seats until the very end. Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Chief Richard Bowers opened the session and acted as emcee for the event that was organized by the McLean Citizens Association in partnership with Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust and Fairfax County Fire and Rescue.

THE TOPICS may have varied greatly, but the one thing that tied the presenters and their subjects together was the spirit of cooperation and coordination of efforts among the agencies represented. These are people who know each other, have often worked together, and actively seek to continuously evaluate and update their procedures individually and jointly.

“Please remember at all times, we are your public servants,” said Chief Bowers. His affirmation was reinforced by the speakers who followed, often with the addition of an invitation to visit a station or center of operations. “Please visit us,” offered Battalion Chief Ry Kendrick, Station 29 Tysons Corner. “It’s one of the highlights of our day.”

Steve Souder, director of the county’s 9-1-1 Center, also extended an invitation to the public to “come by and see this state-of-the-art, world-class facility.” Souder gave an update on the network rebuild coming within the next five years. The almost 50-year-old system “can’t accommodate the knowledge contained in your phone,” but the “next gen” 911 system in the works will provide pinpoint location accuracy and have the ability to send and receive photos and videos and even transmit vital signs to first responders. “And that’s just some of the features,” said Souder.

According to Souder, last year Fairfax County also became one of the first communities in the country to be able to accept text messages to 911. “Calling is always preferable,” he acknowledged, “but there are situations where being able to text would be invaluable,” citing when regular systems are down, or the caller cannot speak or is afraid to speak.

Paula Woodrum, Asst. Fire Marshall, gave an eye-opening presentation on hazardous materials in use, in storage or in transit throughout the region. “In McLean alone, there are twenty-three Tier II facilities (businesses with hazardous substances over a certain quantity), and of those, fourteen are classified as “Extremely Hazardous.” Woodrum and her colleagues track, inspect and monitor these facilities throughout the county. Members of the public can contact Woodrum to get information about the location of hazardous substances “down to the neighbourhood level” via her office at 703.246.3904 or by email at Paula.Woodrum@fairfaxcounty.gov.

Zika Virus “facts, not fiction” was discussed by county Environmental Health Supervisor Josh Smith, who reminded the assembly that simply tipping water-filled containers and using larvicides on personal property was a major factor in “fighting the bite.”

With firsthand experience with robo-calls and other phone scams, several audience members were able to relate when the topic turned to “Financial Exploitation of Older Adults,” presented by Karen Hannigan, supervisor for Aging Disability and Caregiver Resources. McLean resident Ethelyn Tafe has been receiving calls claiming to be from the “IRS” threatening her with dire consequences if she did not return the call and “make arrangements to pay.” Hannigan urged everyone to subscribe to the county’s free monthly “Golden Gazette” containing “news you can use” and providing information on the latest scams. Simply typing “golden gazette” in your browser will lead to the subscription page.

CONSIDERABLE TIME and attention went to the topic “Disaster Preparedness – Is 72 Hours (of supplies) Enough?” as Sandi Fox from Fairfax County Office of Emergency Management went through the items contained in a useful emergency preparedness kit provided to the attendees. “Seventy-two hours is just the bare minimum,” she said. There are scenarios where in cases of extreme emergencies full services are not projected to be functional again for at least 30 days.

“Do you have what you need for that long? Cash on hand if the ATM is not available?” Fox also went through a “Document Checklist” with the suggestion that copies of all the items be kept with trusted family or friends out of town, preferably out of state. “If something happens here, you may not be able to get to your information readily for sometime, if ever,” warned Fox, so it is wise to keep the copies elsewhere. She also cautioned to always have proof of residency, or “you may have problems returning to your own home after an evacuation.” Even a safety deposit box may not be the answer if banks are closed, or travel because of weather conditions isn’t possible.

It would take an entire edition of the Connection to pass along all of the safety advice and resources covered during this session, but thankfully the information is readily available. The Fairfax County government website at www.fairfaxcounty.gov is easily searchable by department and/or subject matter and contains a wealth of materials and resources that help keep the county and its citizens that much safer. Supervisor Foust and Chief Bowers also indicated that they would be hosting additional sessions in the future, and asked the attendees to “spread the word, come again and bring a friend, of any age.” The event may have been billed as a “Senior Summit” but the information provided was certainly applicable to all.