JULY 4- Fireworks Safety

The Fourth of July holiday is coming, and fireworks will be part of the celebration. Each Fourth of July, the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office, South County Fire and the Snohomish County Fire Marshal’s Office receive over 650 fireworks related calls. This puts a strain on our first responders. If you choose to celebrate with fireworks, you can help by firing them legally and safely.

Remember, in unincorporated Snohomish County, you can only shoot fireworks between 9am and 11:59pm on July 4. Do not discharge fireworks before or after July 4. Cities within Snohomish County set their own regulations regarding fireworks. Fireworks are banned in Brier, Edmonds, Everett, Gold Bar, Lynnwood, Marysville, Mill Creek, Mountlake Terrace, Mukilteo, and Woodway.

The following map shows where you can and cannot discharge fireworks in Snohomish County:

https://snohomishcountywa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/65316/Fireworks-Discharge-Map-July-4th-2019



 Also, remember it is illegal to:

·         Discharge fireworks in any Washington State Park or Snohomish County Park

·         Discharge fireworks on federal and state land, including those managed by the Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Forest Service.

·         Discharge fireworks on public property, public streets, sidewalks, parking lots, or school property.

·         Discharge fireworks on private property without permission, and to discharge fireworks from private property onto public property

·         Possess or discharge illegal fireworks. Firecrackers, rockets, rockets, M-80s, dynamite, and all homemade fireworks are all illegal.

The Fire Marshal’s Office recommends that you take the following measures to use fireworks safely:

•         in case of an emergency, when there is an immediate threat to life or property, dial 9-1-1.

•         have a bucket of water for emergencies and to douse used fireworks. Keep the ground wet.

•         never build or experiment with homemade fireworks.

•         never let children handle or light fireworks; even sparklers can be dangerous.

•         never ignite fireworks while holding them; light one at a time and move away quickly.

•         make sure you give yourself enough room in a safe location – away from buildings, vehicles and flammable materials.

•         never light fireworks inside a structure.

•         watch what you wear; loose clothing can catch fire while handling fireworks.

•         never try to re-ignite fireworks that have malfunctioned; soak them in water, then throw them away.

•         never ignite fireworks while you are under the influence of alcohol and/or mind-altering drugs.

•         never aim fireworks at vehicles, homes, or people.

•         only light one firework at a time.

Also, if you see illegal discharge of fireworks, please call the non-emergency phone number, (425) 407-3999 DO NOT call 911 unless there is an immediate threat to life or property.

http://snohomishcountywa.gov/3637/Calling-911



For other resources about fireworks, go to,



National Fire Protection Association:

https://www.nfpa.org/Public-Education/By-topic/Seasonal-fires/Fireworks



Consumer Product Safety Commission:

https://www.cpsc.gov/Safety-Education/Safety-Education-Centers/Fireworks/



Washington State Patrol, Legal and Illegal Fireworks:

 http://www.wsp.wa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/fireworks_stand_list_legal_and_illegal-1.pdf



Snohomish County Fire Marshal:

http://www.snohomishcountywa.gov/1164/Fireworks 



https://snohomishcountywa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/65174/Stay-Safe-and-Legal-this-4th-of-July-flyer-2019?bidId=





Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office:

http://www.snohomishcountywa.gov/290/Fireworks

PARKING LOT PURSE SNATCHINGS- Be Aware As You Load Up Your Vehicle

Local law enforcement agencies in the Puget Sound region are warning customers to be on the watch out for purse snatchers in retail parking lots. Purse snatchings have been reported in Costco’s, Walmart’s, Fred Meyers and other stores in Pierce and King Counties. It appears that the suspects may be a ring of teenage or young males.

Woodinville social media has been talking about at least one purse snatching incident last week at the Woodinville Costco in Snohomish County.

Police say that the suspects are 16 to 20-year-old males driving around in newer stolen vehicles and/or vehicles with temporary tags in the windows. 2 to 4 males inside the vehicles cruise the parking lots looking for females who are alone carrying a purse. There have been reports of purse snatchers in 2 cars looking for targets in one parking lot.

Being aware of your surroundings is always important when you are shopping. Police recommend that you take the following precautions while in a retail parking lot,

·         Be on the lookout for suspicious vehicles driving unusually slowly in the parking lot.

·         Do not leave your purse unattended in your vehicle while you load your vehicle.

·         If you leave your vehicle to return the shopping cart to a nearby cart corral, lock your doors.

·         Do not leave purses unattended in your shopping cart.

·         If your purse is lost or stolen, immediately notify your credit card company and or bank after calling 911.

While the bulk of this activity has been in south King County and Pierce County, there have been one or two incidents reported on social media in the Woodinville area. It would not be too much for purse snatchers, using a stolen car, to drive up to Snohomish County and start operations in an area where police are not on the look out for them. Being aware of your surroundings and taking the above precautions is not a bad idea whenever you do your shopping.



Ilovekent.net:

https://www.ilovekent.net/2019/05/21/police-warning-residents-about-recent-purse-snatching-incidents/?fbclid=IwAR0xDvXrkGUEFEkdv-j_HBeHrmUmeFz3u6aEflaXTAg7O0mu5Y086MVGXHM



KOMO:

https://komonews.com/news/local/purse-snatching-on-the-rise-in-costco-large-retail-stores-across-king-co



KIRO:

https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/deputies-issue-warning-about-purse-snatchings-at-costco-stores/960840692

SNOHOMISH OVERDOSE PREVENTION- 2018 Point in Time Survey

The Snohomish Health District has published a log of its second point in time opioid survey that it conducted in July 2018. In addition to giving numbers of opioid overdoses, deaths, etc. it gives a narrative of what county agencies are doing to prevent opioid addiction. It’s an interesting read.





Snohomish Overdose Prevention:

https://snohomishoverdoseprevention.com/point-in-time-epidemic/?fbclid=IwAR3GIL45vPcfc7Y9Y5uxGRuCYdrAW_0ZBCs5EF-WhWKZ7R4wEmUANIrg9qk

HUNTINGTON WEST VIRGINIA- Police Deploy Addiction Counselor

You probably have heard about the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office’s Law Enforcement Embedded Social Worker program that embeds social workers with deputies who contact the homeless and offers drug addiction and mental health treatment. While Snohomish County is a leader in developing this type of approach to reducing drug addiction, other jurisdictions in the US are also adopting this new way of trying to reduce addiction.

Last night, CBS News’ 60 Minutes aired a segment on the police department in Huntington West Virginia which is using an addiction counselor on drug raids. The police department changed its approach when one day the town experienced 26 overdoses due to a batch of fentanyl laced heroin in just 4 hours.

Read the transcript of the segment below if you did not see last night’s episode of 60 minutes.



CBS News:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cops-bring-addiction-counselor-on-drug-raids-to-fight-opioid-crisis/

ROBOCALLS- Scammers Use Caller ID to Snare You

Most Americans are sick and tired of robocalls. Nine in 10 Americans think lawmakers should do something to stop robocalls, according to the AARP.

Last year, Americans were bombarded with an estimated 48 billion robocalls. 37% were classified as scams. Between January and April of this year over 20 billion robocalls have been made with about half scam related.

The first challenge scammers have is to get you to pick up the phone. One trick that they have been using recently is to “spoof” the phone number on your screen to make you think it is the IRS or your local police department that is calling. Another trick is to show a number that contains your area code or prefix on the assumption that you will be more likely to answer the phone call. In a recent national survey, the AARP found that 59% of respondents said that they would likely answer the call if the caller ID showed a local area code and 44% said that they would pick up the phone if the area code matched one of a relative or close friend.

The next challenge is to get you to send the scammers money or give your personal information so that they can use your stolen ID to get money or services. Traditionally, scammers try to get you emotional, so that you are not thinking logically. The AARP survey found that 51% of respondents felt that they would be more likely to respond to a negative scenario such as claims that you owe taxes, you are about to be arrested for missing jury duty, or your grandchild needs to be bailed out of jail in Mexico. 41% said that they would respond to a positive pitch such as you have won a foreign lottery, or you qualify for a free vacation. It seems that if a scammer can scare you, they are more likely to get some money from you.

So, what to do? Until Congress and/or the Federal Communications Commission institute laws or rules allowing phone companies to block unwanted phone calls, here are some things you can do to protect yourself for annoying robocalls,

·         Sign up with your cell phone provider for their call blocking or call alert service. The service may be free, or you may need to pay a small fee.

·         Download a call blocking app such as Hiya, YouMail, Robokiller, TrueCaller or Nomorobo.

·         Add your home and cellphone numbers to the National Do Not Call Registry. Yes, the crooks don’t pay attention to the registry, but you are letting the honest marketers know that you do not want their phone calls.

·         If you receive an unwanted call, take the time to block it on your phone.

·         Create a robust contact list on your phone so that when friends, relatives, or business associates call you, your phone will show you who is calling.

·         If you do not recognize a phone number, let it go to voicemail.

·         If you do answer a call from an unrecognized phone number and the caller claims to be a government official and threatens you, hang up. Remember, government officials do not call you if you owe taxes, have missed jury duty, or you have some violation. They will notify you via snail mail.

 AARP:
https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/info-2019/aarp-survey-robocalls.html?intcmp=AE-HP-LL1&fbclid=IwAR1aWCxWzkcd7Nf1MzHUMs9YkNPknLkYIp6avHeWtIVy0bv1Iwfte1IXk2M

The Seattle Times:
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/spoof-proof-your-life-how-to-avoid-falling-victim-to-scam-calls/

KOMO:
https://komonews.com/news/consumer/thanks-to-spoofing-caller-id-is-no-longer-a-reliable-way-to-tell-whos-calling-you

NBC News:
https://www.nbcnews.com/better/lifestyle/scammers-manipulate-caller-id-here-are-best-ways-block-robocalls-ncna1011916

Cell Phone Providers:

            AT&T Call Protect- https://www.att.com/features/security-apps.html

            T-Mobile Scam ID and Scam Block- https://www.t-mobile.com/resources/call-protection

            Sprint My Sprint- https://www.sprint.com/en/support/solutions/services/block-restrict-or-allow-voice-calls-using-my-sprint.html  

            Verizon Caller Name ID-  https://www.verizonwireless.com/solutions-and-services/call-filter/