FRIDAY LETTER
WHEN SHOULD YOU CALL 911?
Call 911 in an emergency situation. An emergency is any situation that requires immediate assistance from the Police, Fire of Medical. If you are ever in doubt of whether a situation is an emergency, always call 911. It’s better to be safe and let the 911 call taker determine if you need emergency assistance. Examples of when to call 911 include:
- medical emergencies
- chest pain or shortness of breathing or sudden blurred vision
- fire
- domestic violence
- burglary or theft in progress
- auto accident with injuries
- suspicious activity in progress
When not to call 911:
- to report a past-tense crime
- to report a non-injury traffic accident
- for information or directions
- during a power outage
- to get a ride for a doctor's appointment
- for your pet
What happens when you dial 911?
Dialing 911 from any telephone phone, land-line or mobile device in the City will automatically direct your call to a law enforcement agency. This call could be received by Carmel Police, Monterey County Sheriff, or the Californian Highway Patrol. A land-line phone will route your call to Carmel PD (your direct law enforcement agency that has jurisdiction where the phone call originated). A cellular phone will be directed to the closes available cellular tower. Variables such as call volume and weather (even humidity) can impact the 'availability' of a cellular tower to your 911 call. Unlike a land-line phone, a cell call will not provide information such as your location. Therefore, when calling 911 on a cellular phone, you will need to be prepared to inform the call taker of your exact location and be prepared to be transferred to the agency within jurisdiction where you are located. The call taker will inform you that your call is being transferred. DO NOT HANG UP THE PHONE. There will be a slight delay in the phone transfer and you will not hear a ring. Stay on the line until the new call taker answers.
Who will answer my 911 call?
When you call 911 or 624-6403 here in Carmel-by-the-Sea, a Carmel Police Department dispatcher will answer your call. The dispatcher will ask you a series of questions to determine if the call requires an emergency response; the nature of the call (Police, Fire, or Medical); verify your location; and confirm your telephone number. If your call is Police related, a police officer will be dispatched immediately to assist you with your emergency. If the call is Fire or Medical related, your call will be transferred to Monterey County’s Communication Center. After transfer, the County call taker will ask you a series of questions (that are similar in nature to the CPD dispatcher) to verify the nature of the call (Fire or Medical); confirm your location; and confirm your telephone number. The call taker will keep you on the line while they enter the information into their Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system. A Fire dispatcher will simultaneously be reading the CAD and dispatching Fire and/or Medical to address your call.
Question that will be asked.
It may seem that we are wasting time asking questions, but you may not know that emergency response units are already enroute to your location. Call takers and dispatchers save precious time at the scene by asking questions while emergency services are enroute, and that information is relayed over mobile data terminals. Also, it may seem that we ask questions that are irrelevant or obvious, but we follow a set pattern of questions that have been proven to be essential.
What if I call 911 by mistake?
If you called 911 by mistake, don't hang up, tell the call taker that you misdialed. If you hang up on a 911 call, we'll call you back! And if we cannot make contact with you again, we will dispatch an officer to the location of the call (when available). We do this because occasionally (for example in hostage situations or domestic violence cases) a victim tries to call for help but is interrupted, and his/her life could be put in increased danger if they did not terminate the call.
Fifth Avenue Storm Drainage Improvement Project
Over the past two weeks, the City’s construction contractor, Anderson Pacific, mobilized equipment, installed tree protection, “potholed” to locate underground utilities, and began saw-cutting pavement in preparation of installing new drainage pipes, manholes, and catch basins for this $1.4 million drainage improvement project.
Potholing, as it’s called, is an important safety measure for underground construction. By calling 811, utility companies place color-coded markings on the pavement to identify where their utilities are buried; however, the depth of the utility below the surface is not yet known. Next, the contractor cuts out a two-foot square through the asphalt pavement directly over the utility, carefully digs by hand until the utility line is located, and measures the precise depth of the utility. At this point, the contractor can fine-tune the alignment and slope of the new drainage pipe to avoid these existing utilities.
Starting next week, as the contractor progresses uphill with the new drainage facilities, we will be temporarily and intermittently closing the intersection of Fifth Avenue at Torres Street, followed by Fifth Avenue, between Torres Street and Santa Fe, then the Fifth Avenue/Santa Fe intersection, and continuing with this pattern of temporary intersection and street segment closures all the way up to Fifth Avenue and Carpenter Street. Access to local driveways and emergency vehicles will be maintained at all times. All streets will be open during Car Week next month.
If you have any questions, please call Public Works at 620-2072.
CalRecycle Beverage Container Grant
The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) issues up to $1.5 million annually in grants for beverage container recycling programs. This week, CalRecycle opened up a competitive grant cycle for municipalities to address recycling challenges, increase beverage container collection, and reduce litter in the waste stream. Environmental Compliance Manager Agnes Topp is working on this grant application to fund more combined trash and recycling containers at City parks and facilities, which will help us reduce the amount of waste that ends up at the landfill. This would also build on the recent success of installing 12 containers around the Del Mar parking lot and the combined trash and recycling, teak-wood containers which will soon be installed in Devendorf Park.
Flanders Mansion - City Council Information
Mayor Dallas and Mayor Pro Tem Theis have requested an informational reminder of the current environmental review document as well as the Superior Court decision regarding past City plans for Flanders Mansion. This will occur at the next regular City Council meeting on Tuesday, August 7, 2018.
Carmel Police Department Renovation - Field Trip Included
Also at the next regular City Council meeting (Tuesday, August 7, 2018), the Council will review and provide direction on recommendations from the Forest and Beach Commission, as well as the Planning Commission, on the design of the Police Department renovation and expansion capital improvement project. On Monday (August 6, 2017) the City will host tours of both the interior and exterior of the Police Department beginning at 2:00 pm. We will explain the renovation and expansion project, and highlight the recent maintenance work during these tours. This event will also serve as the City Council's 'field trip' for the public meeting the following day. All are welcome.
Flanders Mansion Repairs
Repairs are now complete on the Flander’s Mansion roof. Public Works is now getting quotes to repair the copper and wooden roof gutters and to pressure wash the downspouts. Because Flanders Mansion is listed as a historic resource, all repairs have to be carefully made to match and maintain the character and charm of the original building.
The First Murphy House Fire System Inspection and Park Upgrade
The first Murphy house passed its annual fire system inspection today. Annual fire system inspections are performed at all municipal buildings and include checking sprinkler heads, signage, alarms, and mechanical devices, testing bells, strobes, and pull stations, and certifying fire panels to ensure 24/7/365 protection of our precious historic buildings.
Native landscaping was also planted in the First Murphy Park for erosion control and beautification of this downtown park adjacent to the First Murphy House. Maintenance worker Mike Tope planned, selected, and installed the new plants and modified the drip irrigation system to accommodate the new plants. Take a look at the photos. Nice job, Mike!
Love Note from Caltrans
State Route 1 will be under one-way reversing traffic control for tree removal south of Atherton Drive near the Carmel High School on both directions of State Route 1, in Carmel next Thursday, July 26 from 9 am until 2 pm. There will be electronic message boards alerting the public of this lane closure. Motorists may encounter delays of 15- 20 minutes as a crane will be used. Traffic control will be performed by Caltrans Monterey Maintenance for the Salinas Tree Crew to remove a dead Monterey pine and to ensure a safe environment for all travelers.
Happening at Sunset Center and Forest Theater:
- The Sunset Presents 2018-2019 Celebratory 15th Season of Performances are on-sale now. With the first two shows (Burt Bacharach and Emmylou Harris) virtually sold out, don’t miss out on performances by I’m With Her, Pilobolus, Bruce Hornsby, Branford Marsalis, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Anoushka Shankar, Louie Anderson, and more! To purchase tickets and for more information, please visit www.sunsetcenter.org or call (831) 620-2048.
- The Carmel Bach Festival moves into their second week with the following performances taking place at Sunset Center. To purchase tickets and for more information, visit www.bachfestival.org.
- Chamber Concert: Lute Songs - Friday, July 20th at 1pm in the lobby
- Heroic Symphony - Friday, July 20th at 7:30pm
- Family Concert: Leonard and Rasmus - Expedition to the Moon – Saturday, July 21st at 11am
- Young Artists’ Showcase - Saturday, July 21st at 2:30pm
- O Fortuna! - Saturday, July 21 at 7:30pm
- St. Matthew Passion – Sunday, July 22nd at 3pm
- Chamber Concert: Bach and the Viola - Monday, July 23rd at 1pm in the lobby
- Eight Seasons - Monday, July 23rd at 7:30pm
- Chamber Concert - Bach and the Cello - Tuesday, July 24th at 1pm in the lobby
- A Night at the Opera - Tuesday, July 24th at 7:30pm
- Chamber Concert: Bach and the Violin - Wednesday, July 25th at 1pm in the lobby
- Chamber Concert: Bach and the Harpsichord - Thursday, July 26th at 1pm in the lobby
- I Hear America Singing - Thursday, July 26th at 7:30pm
- Chamber Concert: Lute Songs - Friday, July 27th at 1pm in the lobby
- Heroic Symphony - Friday, July 27th at 7:30pm
-
- The Forest Theater Guild continues their presentation of “Hunchback of Notre Dame” at the outdoor Forest Theater with performances on July 20 and 22. On Wednesday, July 25th, Films in the Forest presents Grease. To purchase tickets and for more information, visit www.foresttheaterguild.org.
CRA - Lovers of Carmel Beach
Beach clean up tomorrow (Saturday (7.21.18)) from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon. Meet at the bottom of Ocean Avenue. Bring gloves. Organizers provide buckets, pickers, coffee, and enthusiasm.
Sorry for the delayed transmittal, Marc and I have been meeting with Georgina and Barbara (firm but fair customers) for a bit.
Best of luck.
CR
|
