Month: February 2016

Smokey Bear has a relevant motto we all know and practice. 

The quote “Only you can prevent wildfires” translates from wilderness to your own home and other indoor areas. 

The new year brought two fires in apartments surrounding Dixie State University, forcing fire safety off the back burner for students residing in dorms. 

The first apartment fire of the semester occurred in January. Flames caused by a short in a breaker box at Avalon Apartments resulted in the building to lose power and students to be evacuated for over an hour.

The second fire took place at Canyonlands Apartments in February. A storage room filled with appliances and cardboard was the confirmed source. A plugged-in stove stored in the room sparked the flames.

St. George Fire Chief Robert Stoker said both Avalon and Canyonlands apartments met the safety codes they were built under. 

“The new student housing codes require hardwired smoke detectors, so if one goes off, they all go off,” Stoker said. “There will also be a fire detector in every room, whereas the older dorms only required detectors in the commons areas.”

DSU Fire Marshal Josh Thayn said the most common campus fires at DSU are caused by electric malfunctions and unsafe cooking. Actions such as overloading outlets, wiring multiple cords together in daisy chains, and using temporary wiring as permanent wiring are likely to cause fires.

“Hopefully everybody takes the opportunity to look at their emergency operation plan and emergency procedures so they can know what they can do to keep themselves and others safe,” Thayn said.

The St. George City Fire Department inspects public buildings for fire code violations. Stoker said student housing falls under a somewhat private residence, but managers are usually more than happy to grant access to the duty crew for a safety inspection.

“Our on-duty crews are always doing inspections,” Stoker said. “We try to require as much safety as possible.”

Stoker said placing barbecue grills too close to the building and using walkway stairways for storage are some of the fire hazard violations at the apartments.  

“It’s always important to keep a clean house,” said Ken Guard, St. George Fire Department battalion chief. “Most of the structure fires we find throughout the year are usually in an unclean environment. Stuff laying around in [an] unorganized [living space] potentially causes problems.”

Guard said keeping fresh batteries in smoke detectors and setting timers on baked goods in the oven can go a long way, but there are other imperative measures that often need attention in order to properly exercise fire safety.

“We went through Canyonlands and checked the smoke detectors,” Stoker said. “Sometimes people take out the batteries because the ones in their remote controls are dead. We always see stuff like that.”

Resident assistants are expected to keep a watchful eye over the rooms when inspection crews are saving the day elsewhere.

“As a resident assistant, we make sure nobody has any prohibited items that would cause a fire,” said Jared Spencer, a senior communication major from Derby, Texas. “It is pretty simple.”

Spencer said prohibited items that could potentially pose a fire hazard in apartments include candles and coffee makers. 

“There’s trainings that you can ask for and we can help provide,” Thayn said. “We just want to make sure your experience here is one of safety and enjoyment.”

Hispanic community members came to Dixie State University for free health checkups, trainings and a tour of a firetruck Saturday. 

Teaming up with the St. George Police Department, the DSU Nursing Association provided free blood pressure tests, dental checkups, body mass index screenings and eye exams at the Feria de la Salud y la Seguridad, meaning Health and Safety Fair. The event took place in the parking lot of the Russell C. Taylor Health Science Building.

Nursing students also provided community members with information on how to stay healthy and safe. 

Jennie Garcia, a junior nursing major from St. George, organized the event with the help of her husband, Rudy Garcia, who is a patrol officer for the St. George Police Department.

Jennie Garcia said she hopes to make the Feria de la Salud y la Seguridad an annual event and future partnership opportunity with the police department. She said the reason DSUNA reached out to the Hispanic community was to help them feel included and that they have the same resources as others.

“A lot of times in St. George, we assume everyone speaks English, so we don’t really consider that we need to have a translator or have someone there that can kind of cater to people who don’t speak English,” Jennie Garcia said. 

Carly Coons, a junior nursing major from Alpine, said she enjoyed teaching community members about different health and safety topics. 

“A lot of nursing is teaching, and so [this event] gives us an opportunity to teach,” Coons said. “If we keep [Hispanic community members] safe and healthy, then they have less people in the hospital and less people sick. As we reach out as nurses, it’s kind of prevention first.” 

Ron Allen, a St. George Fire Department firefighter attended the event to give children tours of a fire engine. He said the event was also helpful for students to learn more about emergency services in the community. 

“The DSU students have an opportunity here to learn also what we do as far as emergency services and how in depth that goes,” Allen said. 

Rudy Garcia said it was nice to see different organizations like the DSUNA and police department “come together as one unit” to help community members for a day. 

“This is why I became an officer — so I can help people,” Rudy Garcia said. 

Additional reporting by Ally Hunter. 

In a world dependent on cars, I bucked the system for a day. 

I tried something new last week and ditched my car to travel solely by foot and public transportation for one day. Taking advantage of SunTran’s deal with Dixie State University to provide free rides for students, I rode the bus most of the way between the university, home and work. I found out how much I really depend on my shabby 2000 Dodge Intrepid and how much I’d miss it when it’s gone. 

My home is in Washington, three miles from the nearest bus stop in St. George. Having to be at DSU by 7 a.m., I woke up at 5 a.m., put on my big-boy shoes, packed my essentials in a small backpack, and questioned my life decisions. I strapped on my headlight and started running the first three miles in the dark with the Bees Gees’ song “Stayin’ Alive” playing in my earphones. 

I stumbled onto the bus 20 minutes later all sweaty and probably looking confused. The SunTran made it to the transfer station on 100 S near DSU in less than 10 minutes, dropping me off at the university 30 minutes early. One of the best parts of not having a car at DSU was not having to worry about parking, which has gotten pretty hard to find on campus sometimes.

I started to seriously regret being without a car when I went to work after my classes in the afternoon. I work in Bloomington, which is two miles from the nearest SunTran stop. I went for another run to work and back, adding four more miles my distance covered by running. 

I still had to take the bus through St. George, transfer to another bus near DSU, and run three more miles before I could finally relax with my homework at home. I wasn’t paying attention and transferred to the wrong bus on the way home, adding an additional 40 minutes to the ride that would have otherwise taken me 15 in a car.  

By the time I finally made it home that evening, I had logged 10 miles on foot and was sick and tired of riding the bus. I was sore, tired and annoyed. 

The busses didn’t feel like they had air conditioning in them, which was the only downside of my time on the SunTran. It felt good connecting with the community by taking the bus and knowing I could make it around if my car broke down, albeit somewhat uncomfortably. 

There was also a feeling of vulnerability attached to not having an immediate mode of transportation. I hated the lack of control I felt knowing if I needed to go somewhere fast for some reason, I wouldn’t be able to make it.

While it was an adventure running around town to catch the bus, it wouldn’t be something I would try again unless SunTran expands the area covered in its routes or until I find a good deal for a road bike on Craigslist.

Having lived in cities like Salt Lake City, Chicago and Seattle where public transportation is a staple, I know the value good public transportation can add to a city. And while St. George continues to grow and its roads become more crowded, increased public transportation could become a great way to get around.

It can be fun taking the bus, and you can feel good pretending to be productive while texting and checking Facebook along the way.

You wouldn’t guess it by looking at some of them as they made basket after basket that these individuals have special needs. 

Individuals with special needs from across the spectrum gathered in the Student Activities Center Saturday for a sporting event organized by Dixie State University’s Premedical Alliance.

The alliance organizes these events monthly, and the activities include baseball, golf, soccer, basketball and dodgeball. A luncheon is also provided to attendees.

Parents and caretakers of the individuals with special needs who participated in the game sat on the sidelines, and, for St. George resident Aimee Bonham, these events are just what her 13-year-old son Billy needs to release his energy.

“For children with special needs, [playing sports] seems to be a bit more taxing on you, even emotionally,” Bonham said. “I think [the sports weekends] are a great thing for the community.”

Bonham heard about the event through her son’s special needs mutual program through their church. Her son has a rare disease, and she said it’s interesting to see how he interacts with others with special needs because she didn’t know his diagnosis until about a year ago.

“As a parent, that was very difficult because we didn’t even know if he was special,” she said.

Mikayla Stokes, a junior biology major from Wrangell, Alaska, and president of the DPMA, said the special needs sports weekends provide value to the community and DSU students in multiple ways.

In addition to gaining community service hours for their medical school applications, members of the DPMA gain experience caring for individuals with special needs through these events.

“It gives us another insight,” Stokes said. “I know that, as someone wanting to be a physician, it will benefit me to know how to interact and care for those with special needs.” 

Doug Sainsbury, DPMA’s club adviser and program adviser for the biology department, said DMPA members serve as ambassadors for DSU when they participate in the special needs sports weekend.

“[The students] provide a unique, and usually unfulfilled, opportunity for the special needs community members to learn and play different sports,” Sainsbury said.

Stokes said she’s received lots of positive feedback from the community, and the club plans to organize a golf event next month. Bonham said her family is looking forward to that event in particular. 

“Billy is a great golfer,” she said.

Bonham said she wishes there were more events like this because oftentimes, if a family isn’t directly involved in a special needs organization, they may not hear about services or events available to them. 

Events like these help students build long-lasting relationships in the community, Stokes said. 

“I have met so many people in the special needs community who I see around at other events, so I think building that long-lasting connection with people is good,” Stokes said.