Free bike helmets will be given away to the first 200 kids under the age of 12 at Roxbury Spine and Wellness Clinic on Saturday, June 18, from 10 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.

All helmets will be properly fitted by the Roxbury staff, who will also be performing scoliosis and body fat screenings. The fun continues with face painting, a bounce house and cookout!

Come out and meet the Roxbury family and enjoy this great community event! The office is located at 2656 SW Roxbury Street (across from the Safeway gas station).

Parking is available in the Safeway parking lot.

Please RSVP to http://www.bikehelmetawareness.eventbrite.com

More info available at www.roxburyclinic.com, or call 206.937.2000.

Got speed? And if so, have you been ‘busted’ yet by the four brand new, solar-powered speed detectors recently installed on Ambaum Blvd. SW in Burien?

“The solar-powered speed detectors are at Ambaum and SW 134th Street, one in each direction,” said Steve Botkin from the city. [CORRECTION 5/12/11: after another drive-by, we counted a total four detectors.] “They cost about $6,000 each and are permanently placed there. They were paid for through a $71,000 state traffic safety grant the City received after the most recent pedestrian fatality there, a few years ago at about SW 136th St. While not a police department project, the grant request originated in the police department.”

These detectors are part of the Public Works project on Ambaum.

According to the city’s Public Works Department, radar speed detectors have been found to be effective in slowing down traffic, and after the overlay project is complete the City will do a before and after speed study on Ambaum to see if the detectors are making any difference.

We know from firsthand, personal experience that when these puppies start flashing at us, we react as if it’s some kind of scorecard or grading system, and immediately ease off the gas pedal.

Botkin adds:

The city has been waiting until the overlay project was done (or nearly done in this case) to install the detectors to prevent them from being damaged while the heavy sidewalk repair and preparation work on Ambaum was being done.

Also, the grant is paying for pedestrian-activated signaled crosswalk across Ambaum at SW 134th which will go in after the overlay work in that area is complete.

So…have YOU been caught yet by your new speed-conscious robot overlords? And if so, how did you react? Please leave a Comment below…

Sustainable Burien recently held a “very successful” meeting on Disaster Preparedness, and now they’re holding a followup training this Sunday, Jan. 23rd, for people wanting to learn how to host it in their own neighborhoods.

Attendance is FREE, and by showing up you’ll meet with other people looking to host the Map Your Neighborhood disaster preparedness program in their own neighborhoods.

Please note that this week’s meeting will be held in a private home, so to attend, please email Rebecca Dare at rdare2@yahoo.com or call 206-243-9366.

It’s a great, locally-grown way to make sure you and your neighborhood are ready for just about anything.

Here are the event details:

WHAT: Sustainable Burien’s Disaster Preparedness Followup Training

WHEN:  Sunday, Jan. 23rd, from 2pm -4pm.

WHERE: At a private home – to RSVP, or for more information, email rdare2@yahoo.com or call 206-243-9366.

by Rebecca Dare and Bill Opfermann

When a disaster hits, first responders will not be able to help everyone – you may not even be able to contact 911. You may be at work and not able to get home. In the critical first hour of an emergency, the people you will turn to for help are your neighbors. Have you talked with your neighbors about what you would do during a disaster?

We recently hosted a neighborhood disaster preparedness program called Map Your Neighborhood (MYN). We invited 33 households in our neighborhood. We created a neighborhood map in advance and numbered the houses 1-33. Fifteen neighbors came and we followed a video that led us through the steps. MYN also provides booklets with all the steps that we followed. The host on the video has you pause it at certain points so that the participants can fill out the information to create the neighborhood plan. We put together a contact list that included phone numbers, children’s names and pets. We also put together a Neighborhood Skills and Equipment Inventory. We chose one house to be a gathering spot after a disaster and a house designated as a care center for children and vulnerable adults. Though not part of the MYN program, another house was offered as a place to house pets if necessary.

Those that came really liked the program. We felt more connected as neighbors and had an empowered sense that we could help ourselves and each other in case of a disaster. We hope many neighborhoods, including those living in apartment buildings and condos, will find this interesting and useful enough to do it themselves.

Sustainable Burien’s January 9th meeting will be devoted to neighborhood disaster preparedness. We’ll have 4 or 5 speakers: Karen Ferreira from Regional Emergency Preparedness; Mechee Burnett, from SeaTac Police Department, will talk about CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) training; someone from the Fire Department; a person experienced in cleanup and restoration after a disaster; a neighbor who went through the Northridge, CA. earthquake, and Bill and I will share our hands-on experience helping to create a prepared neighborhood.

Map Your Neighborhood (MYN) is a program designed to start your neighborhood conversation about disaster preparedness. The MYN program was developed by Dr. LuAn Johnson, of the Washington State University Emergency Management program , to help neighborhoods of 15-20 houses quickly and easily create a response plan for emergencies. Click here to view a video of Dr. Johnson that may be helpful.

The Map Your Neighborhood Program will help you:

• Create a neighborhood contact list and identify those in your neighborhood who are elderly or need special assistance.
• Create a neighborhood utilities map that shows the locations of natural gas and propane tanks in your neighborhood.
• Identify the skills and equipment that each neighbor has to contribute during an emergency. Now you’ll know who has plumbing skills, who knows emergency medical care and who has a chainsaw or generator.
• Learn the 9 Steps to Take Immediately After a Disaster. You’ll be able to protect your home and secure your neighborhood with this written checklist.

We hope you can come to the January 9, 2011 (Sunday) Sustainable Burien meeting at Burien Library at 2 p.m. to learn more about Map Your Neighborhood and other disaster preparedness information:

WHAT: Sustainable Burien “Map Your Neighborhood” Meeting.

WHEN: Sunday, Jan. 9, 2011 at 2pm.

WHERE: Burien Library.

INFO: We’d be happy to answer any questions we can about the MYN program and our own experiences. You can contact us at: rdare2@yahoo.com.

On Wednesday, Oct. 6th, the city tested its new “Burien Alert” system by sending out automated, recorded messages to resident homes and cell phones, and yes, they even sent out emails as well.

We got calls on both our cell and home number, and luckily, we were able to record it. Of course, now that we have a recording of this test call, we can’t just sit back.

Nope, we’ve got to review it. Play with it. Have fun. “Cuz that’s how we roll.

First, here’s a recording of the call in its raw form – this is how it sounded when you picked up the phone:

Being that we’ve done our fair share of audio production work in both Seattle and Hollywood, we felt that this effort fell um, a little flat; here are our notes:

• First off, our rule is to always start with a positive note: Hey, good idea cityfolk – this is definitely a worthy investment of money. Unless of course the phone lines all go down, cell towers fail and we’re all without any power. Then, um…oops…
• With that said, we’d like to point out that the audio recording was weak. No authority, and yes, the version they’re using actually includes a mistake – listen to the Announcer stumble on the word “information”:
• Quite frankly, we think the voice talent should be replaced. There are a plethora of local voice actors that would be happy to work on this project, including Burien’s own Henry Dardenne, the snarky voice of those wacky Pemco Insurance ads.
• Also, the production quality sounds like it was recorded on a Windows 95 machine in a city-owned building on SW 152nd. C’mon, we can do better than that B-Town! Here’s a sample remix version that we think would get people’s attention right away in any emergency:

Now, did you notice the scream we used at the start of that? Yes, that’s the infamous Wilhelm Scream,” a stock sound effect first used in 1951 for the film “Distant Drums.” According to Wikipedia, actor-singer Sheb Wooley is considered to be the most likely voice actor for the scream, having appeared on a memo as a voice extra for the film. In “The Charge at Feather River” (1953), the scream is heard when a soldier named Pvt. Wilhelm (played by Ralph Brooke) gets shot in the leg by an arrow. And now, the City of Burien could use it, since it’s considered public domain!

That’s okay cityfolk – you can download this MP3 for free and use it. No charge!

We can’t wait ’til this gets used after a real disaster…

If you live in Burien and your telephone rings on Wednesday, Oct. 6th, don’t be alarmed if you hear a recorded message for a test emergency earthquake drill.

The City of Burien will participate in a countywide earthquake drill on that date, opening its emergency operations center and performing functions as if the emergency were real including communicating with residents and businesses.

In addition to the robo-calls, here’s what else will be going on:

• Residents may also see an alert on the City website.
• Alerts will also be broadcast on the City’s radio station, Radio Free Burien (540 AM) and on Burien Cable Channel 21.
• People with telephone land lines in their homes or businesses will receive an emergency alert through Burien Alert, the City’s new emergency notification system that went into effect Sept. 15. Those who have signed up to receive alerts over their cell phones and other electronic devices will receive a call from Burien Alert.

People can “opt in” their cell phones and other devices to the Burien Alert system by clicking the “Burien Alert” button on the City’s Web home page at www.burienwa.gov. Those without Internet access can come to City Hall for assistance opting in. For more information on Burien Alert, go to www.burienwa.gov/alert.

For more information on Burien’s new “Alert” system, read our previous coverage on this story here.

The City of Burien on Wednesday (Sept. 15) booted up their new “Burien Alert” emergency system, and now residents and businesses have a new way to receive alerts about natural disasters and other emergencies.

“Burien Alert” is a mass notification system that enables emergency officials and other first responders to notify residents via a “reverse 911″ type of phone message, text messages, or even email (read our previous coverage here).

According to the city:

The system, which went into effect today (Sept. 15), is intended to notify residents and businesses about significant risks to health and safety. Public safety officials can send alerts about emergencies such as severe weather, floods, utility disruptions or critical police activity. Emergency alerts may be sent 24 hours a day, based on severity. When a number is called, the person receiving the call will be instructed to press 1 to hear the message. The emergency or community alert will follow.

Households and businesses with a land line will automatically receive the emergency alert. The system allows individuals the opportunity to ‘opt-in’ their alternative electronic devices also, including cell phones, work phones, text messages, e-mails, and more. Those with land lines will continue to receive emergency notifications, regardless of whether they opt in with other devices. Those who opt in will receive an emergency notification on their land line or on devices they chose when they opted in.

Residents and businesses can opt in on the Internet beginning Sept. 15 by accessing the Burien Alert button at the bottom of the City’s Web home page at www.burienwa.gov and following the opt-in instructions. People without access to the Internet can come to City Hall at 300 S.W. 152nd St., Suite 300, for assistance opting in. Free computers with Internet access are also available to the public at the Burien Community Center and Burien Library. All information provided will be kept strictly confidential.

General information and frequently asked questions about Burien Alert can be found at www.burienwa.gov/alert, or you can just sign up for Burien ALERT here. Besides choosing how to receive emergency notifications, users also can choose to receive alerts regarding locations of interest – emergencies that may affect a residence, workplace, child’s school or other areas that are within the Burien city limits.

Businesses benefit when their employees opt in because wherever they are, information can be relayed to their employees about local emergencies.

On a personal note, we went ahead and signed up for it, adding our home phone, cell and office phone numbers, as well as two email addresses. We can’t be sure until an emergency strikes how efficiently it’ll function, but if and when one does we’ll do a full-on review of it from whatever bunker we end up hiding in.

And no, we’re not plotting a fake emergency just to test it out.

Really.

The first 911 call occurred at 1:53am Sunday morning, and in total, eleven 911 callers followed, updating the State Patrol communications center of the vehicle’s exact location. With that information, communications officers were able to dispatch troopers in the area.

Troopers apprehended the driver without incident and immediately detected that the driver was under the influence of alcohol.

The wrong way driver was booked into the King County Jail on charges of DUI.

The Burien/Normandy Park Fire Department will be hosting “Kids’ Day,” their annual open-house event on Saturday, Sept. 18th, from 10am – 3pm.

In addition to a full day of FREE, fun and informative events, there will also be low-cost helmets for anyone over the age of 1 for sale for just $7 by Safe Kids King County South. These will be custom fit by Highline Medical Center staff, and wearer must be present.

This is a great way to also meet your local firefighters, so mark your calendars now.

During the event, there will be a wide range of activities, including:

• Learn about safety
• Climb aboard a fire engine
• Play games
• Watch Demonstrations of emergency automobile extrication and high-angle rope rescue
• Practice escaping from a burning house (simulated)
• Spot the tot and hyperthermia (overheating) demonstrations from Safe Kids King County South
• Squirt a fire hose
• Answer questions for prizes
• Hunt for candy
• See a helicopter land
• Make crafts
• Bring your camera

Balloons, fire hats, and safety information will also be handed out.

Here are the details:

WHAT: Annual Burien/Normandy Park Fire Department Kids’ Day.

WHEN: 10am – 3pm on Saturday, Sept. 18th.

WHERE: Fire Station #28 located at 15100 8th Ave. S.W. Burien, WA 98166.

INFO: For more information call Station 28 at (206) 242-2040.

The City of Burien announced in its latest quarterly newsletter (link to PDF file here) that it has created a “new way to receive alerts about natural disasters and other emergencies” it’s calling “Burien Alert.”

The program is scheduled to begin Sept. 15, and according to the city, it will serve as a mass notification system that enables emergency officials and other first responders to notify residents via a “reverse 911″ type of message.

Residents will be allowed to “opt-in” to the service by clicking on a Burien ALERT button that will be at the bottom of the city’s website beginning Sept. 15th (it’s not up there yet).

Also, on Wednesday, Oct. 6th, the city is planning on participating in a countywide earthquake drill, where it will open its emergency operations center and perform functions as if the incident were real, including communicating with residents and businesses.

Here’s more from the city’s announcement:

The system will notify residents and businesses about significant risks to health and safety. Public safety officials can send alerts about emergencies such as severe weather, floods, utility disruptions or critical police activity. Emergency alerts may be sent 24 hours a day, based on severity. When a number is called, the person receiving the call will be instructed to press 1 to hear the message. The emergency or community alert will follow.

Households and businesses with a land line will automatically receive the emergency alert. The system allows individuals the opportunity to ‘opt-in’ their alternative electronic devices, including cell phones, work phones, text messages, e-mails, and more.

Residents and businesses can opt in on the Internet by accessing the Burien ALERT button at the bottom of the City Web page at www.burienwa.gov and following the opt-in instructions. People without access to the Internet can come to City Hall for assistance opting in. General information and frequently asked questions about Burien Alert can be found at www.burienwa.gov/Alert (EDITOR’S NOTE: this page will apparently be activated Sept. 15th). Besides choosing how to receive emergency notifications, users also can choose to receive alerts regarding locations of interest – emergencies that may affect a residence, workplace, child’s school or other areas that are within the Burien city limits. Businesses benefit when their employees opt in because wherever they are, information can be relayed to their employees about local emergencies.

Everyone with land lines will continue to receive emergency notifications, regardless of whether they opt in with other devices. Those who opt in will receive an emergency notification on their land line or on devices they chose when they opted in.

On Wednesday, Oct. 6, the City of Burien will participate in a county-wide earthquake drill. The City will open its emergency operations center and perform functions as if the incident were real, including commu- nicating with residents and businesses.

You may see an alert on the City Website, or hear an emergency radio broadcast on Radio Free Burien 540 AM or view one on Burien Channel 21. People with telephone land lines or who have signed up to receive alerts over their cell phones and other devices will receive a call from Burien Alert.