Marianna has a new Fire Chief

Marianna City Manager Jim Dean has appointed William Michael Hall Jr. as the Marianna Fire Department’s (MFR) new Fire Chief. Fire Chief Hall began his new role as the leader of the department on June 22. The appointment follows the departure of Nakeya Lovett, who had served as fire chief since 2012.

Michael Hall was formerly a fire protection specialist with the Florida State Fire Marshal’s Office prior to his appointment. Hall began his fire service career in 2011 as a firefighter at Marianna Fire Department. He is a Jackson County native and graduated from Cottondale High School in 2009. Hall attended Chipola College, where he earned an associate degree (2010), firefighter I and II certification, EMT certification, law enforcement certification, and several others. He also attended Florida State Fire College, where he took multiple advanced fire courses. Hall holds state and national certifications as a firefighter, EMT, fire inspector, fire officer, plans examiner, and more. He is also a member of the Florida Fire Marshals and Inspectors Association and Florida Fire Chiefs Association.

Hall will lead 23 members of Marianna Fire Department, which consists of six auxiliary firefighters, six firefighters, five driver/operators, three captains, one fire marshal/training officer, one administrative assistant, and the chief, operating out of two stations.

Leave No Trace ordinance in Bay County

The “Leave No Trace” ordinance created several years ago was meant to keep the beaches clean, but this summer It’s taken on a new meaning. This year‘s “Leave No Trace” brochure was revealed at Tuesday’s Bay County Tourist Development Council meeting on June 9th. As in year’s past, it includes the beach flag warning system and reminds visitors to remove personal items off the sand at night, but this year’s brochure also has an entire side devoted to COVID-19. It reminds visitors of important things like social distancing and keeping hand sanitizer with them. The brochures will be given to beach goers by beach ambassadors, but there’s also talk of placing them in hotel and motel guest rooms.

The Leave No Trace ordinance in Panama City Beach prohibits tents and personal property on the beach at night and anything left unattended will be removed by authorities. Nightly patrols have started to make sure people are not leaving their items unattended. Panama City Beach mayor Mark Sheldon said items will be thrown away if they are left on the beach. “Leave No Trace is a very important thing on Panama City Beach, it’s the way that we can make sure our beaches get cleaned every night, it’s the way that we can rake the beaches for the next day, we have that ordinance out there, in place to make sure we have the prettiest beaches in northwest Florida,” said Mayor Sheldon. Authorities will be patrolling the beach from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. and this is currently in effect and active year-round.

Revising Your Emergency Plan Amid the Coronavirus Pandemic

It is hurricane season and again and we have already had 3 named storms. This is a brief how to on revising your emergency plan amid the Coronavirus Pandemic. Mother Nature doesn’t always check the calendar—or pay attention to the news. Before hurricane season officially kicked off, we already had two named storms, Arthur and Bertha, off the southeastern coast. Add to that devastating floods in Michigan, wildfires in the Florida panhandle, and a turbulent tornado season in the Midwest, and summer 2020 is off to a rough start.

By all accounts, the Atlantic hurricane season is going to be busier than usual. The major forecasters—including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration—are predicting 13 to 19 named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher), including three to six major hurricanes (category 3, 4, or 5). That’s concerning enough in normal times, but with the coronavirus pandemic still unfolding, evacuating during a natural disaster becomes even more fraught—and logistically complicated—by the added worry of potential exposure to infection.

The Red Cross recommends gathering your supplies now, because they may become less available once a storm is predicted or approaching. If you dipped into your emergency stash—canned food, bottled water, and other nonperishables—during the quarantine, make sure to replenish the supplies you used. 👉🏼 It’s also a good time to check with hotels, motels, and campgrounds to see whether they’ve opened. And find out whether your local emergency management agency has adapted its sheltering plans, based on any stay-at-home orders or loosening quarantine restrictions.

The Red Cross and FEMA are also revising their normal emergency procedures. Because of the need for social distancing, large congregant shelters like school gymnasiums are no longer the first option, though in the event of a large-scale evacuation they may become necessary: Instead of opening large shelters, they are prioritizing individual hotel rooms or dormitory-style rooms to make sure people have a safe place to stay if they can’t return home after a disaster.

Red Cross’ Gustafson recommends putting together two emergency supply kits—one for sheltering at home and another for evacuating. In both cases, plan on assembling a one-month supply of the prescription and over-the-counter medications you depend on. Keep your meds in a separate bag so that you can easily grab them no matter where you go. Here’s what the Red Cross recommends for each scenario.

Stay-at-Home Kit (2 Weeks of Supplies)
Gather everything you need to stay at home for at least two weeks, including food, water, household cleaning and disinfectant supplies, soap, paper products, and personal hygiene items. Don’t forget to stock up on face masks, something we didn’t have to think about in previous years.

Even if you don’t have to evacuate, you may be without power for an extended time. If you have a portable generator, make sure it’s in good working order and that you have a supply of gas on hand (gas stations may not be operational if they lose power, too). And make sure your carbon monoxide detector is in working order. If you don’t have a portable generator, now is a good time to consider buying one. A portable generator can keep four to six appliances and electronic devices running—refrigerator, window air conditioner, TV, phones. Always place the generator at a minimum of 20 feet from your house, with the exhaust vent directed away from any windows or doors.

Evacuation Kit (3 Days of Supplies)
Your to-go kit should be a lightweight, smaller version of your stay-at-home kit that you can take with you if you must leave your home quickly. Include everything you need to be on your own for three days, such as food, water, personal hygiene items, and cleaning and disinfectant supplies that you can use on the go (tissues, hand sanitizer with 60 percent alcohol, and disinfecting wipes). Make sure that you have enough face masks for everyone in your household.

Be prepared and stay safe!

 

LED lighting ~ energy savings

Widespread use of LED lighting has the greatest potential impact on energy savings in the United States. By 2027, the widespread use of LEDs could save about 348 TWh (compared to no LED use) of electricity: This is the equivalent annual electrical output of 44 large electric power plants (1000 megawatts each), and a total savings of more than $30 billion at today’s electricity prices. West Florida Electric Cooperative posted about this and even gave a link which you can click at the bottom to learn more.

LED lighting is very different from other lighting sources such as incandescent bulbs and CFLs. Key differences include the following:
Light Source: LEDs are the size of a fleck of pepper, and a mix of red, green, and blue LEDs is typically used to make white light.
Direction: LEDs emit light in a specific direction, reducing the need for reflectors and diffusers that can trap light. This feature makes LEDs more efficient for many uses such as recessed downlights and task lighting. With other types of lighting, the light must be reflected to the desired direction and more than half of the light may never leave the fixture.
Heat: LEDs emit very little heat. In comparison, incandescent bulbs release 90% of their energy as heat and CFLs release about 80% of their energy as heat.

https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/save-electricity-and-fuel/lighting-choices-save-you-money/led-lighting?fbclid=IwAR0vx6nJWCCUjjVNZfGkUlJH5nsCfEXB1YJpePB1UmZJZGnd-NVFSIlKoe0

Red Snapper Season started June 1st

Federally permitted red snapper season began yesterday and runs through August 1. Snapper are managed differently in the Gulf versus the Atlantic and in state versus federal waters. Gulf state waters are from shore to 9 nautical miles. Atlantic state waters are from shore to 3 nautical miles. The southeastern United States is home to the largest concentration of saltwater recreational fishing in America. Whether seeking iconic fish to catch for sport or for sustenance, recreational fishing in the Southeast generates more than $15 billion in sales annually for more than 4.5 million fishermen taking more than 36 million fishing trips every year.

The Gulf season for federally-permitted for-hire operations is June 1-Aug. 1. The 2020 Gulf red snapper season for anglers fishing from private recreational vessels will be June 11- July 25 (45 days).

Medicare information

This is an unbiased, free, and confidential place to go for help with Medicare. Shine is a grant program of the federal administration for community living and is administered by the Florida Department of Elder Affairs in partnership with the state’s elven Aging and Disability Resource Centers. You can call 1-800-963-5337 for more information.

40th anniversary of Pac-Man

Yesterday was Pac-Man’s 40th birthday. Born on May 22, 1980, PAC-MAN immediately rose to meteoric popularity, first in video game arcades, then through an array of branding and entertainment appearances. With a brand recognition rate of 90% around the world, PAC-MAN’s image is one of the most recognized on the planet and is as strong as ever as he enters his 40th year of entertaining fans of all ages.

Pac-Man (or Puck Man in Japan) is an arcade game developed by Namco and licensed for distribution in the USA by Midway, first released in Japan in 1979. Immensely popular from its first release through today, Pac-Man is universally considered as one of the classics of the medium, virtually synonymous with video games.

The game is played by eating all the fruits on the stage, while avoiding the ghosts. In 1983 the game introduces a new character, “Mil.” The playful Mil moves around the screen to move the fruits away from Pac-Man. The game is unique in that it doesn’t have any Power Pellets. In turn, Pac-Man can retaliate by eating special powerup items such as the Boss Galaxian and Rally X icons.

 

Jackson County Burn Ban lifted

BURN BAN LIFTED FOR JACKSON COUNTY. The ban burn put in place by the Jackson County Board of County Commissioners last Tuesday, May 12 has been lifted according to Jackson County Fire Rescue Chief Charlie Brunner. Rain has been sufficient with staffing in place with State of Florida Forestry Department is sufficient to cover the area they are assigned. As with any burn requiring a permit, please make sure you have your permit and use caution when burning.

 

Sea Turtles

Did you know sea turtles have a season they are most active? May 1st to October 31st is the most active season for sea turtles. When you go to the beach please remember to leave only footprints, knock over your sandcastles, fill in any holes, and if you go at night no flashlights. Any time you see a sea turtle you should know they should never be touched.

A few interesting facts about sea turtles:
~They do not retract into their shell
~Green sea turtles are named for the color of their fat layer
~Female sea turtles return to the same beach to lay eggs using magnetic “clues”
~Baby green sea turtles are carnivores and transition to eating seaweed as they grow older
~The actual lifespan of green sea turtles is unknown
~The sex of turtles is determined by the temperature of sand, cooler the sand the more males

The oldest known sea turtle fossils date back about 150 million years, making them some of the oldest creatures on Earth. Just for some context, dinosaurs became extinct 65 million years ago. Green sea turtles can stay underwater for up to five hours, but their feeding dives usually only last five minutes or less. Sea turtles have glands that help to empty excess salt from their eyes, making it appear as though they’re crying, but not to worry, they’re just doing some spring cleaning. Have you ever seen a sea turtle?

 

Burn Ban

Most counties in the panhandle have issued a burn ban. Please check with your individual county before you burn again. Jackson, Gulf, Bay, and Washington county have published the burn ban. Effective immediately all outdoor burning of yard trash, household paper products, bonfires, campfires, warming fires, outdoor fire places, chimneys, and cooking fires is prohibited unless: 1) authorized by the Florida Forest Service; 2) for cooking of food exclusively within a contained gas or charcoal grill.  The setting of fires to any grass, brush or forest covered land, unless authorized by the Florida Forest Service, shall constitute a violation of the law. Be safe!