JULY 4- Fireworks Safety

With the Fourth of July rapidly approaching, new rules are in place for July 4, 2021. Discharge of fireworks is now banned in portions of Southwest Snohomish County (see map-  https://snohomishcountywa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/81528/SW-Snohomish-County-Fireworks-Ban-Area?bidId=). Violating the ban can cause a $500 penalty, a civil infraction, and the possibility of court-ordered restitution. Coupled with the fireworks bans in the adjoining cities, fireworks are banned in the most populous and developed part of the county. Fireworks may be discharged in the rest of the county only on the Fourth of July from 9am until midnight.

Fireworks may be sold in this unincorporated southwest area but may not be discharged.

 Also, the Snohomish County Fire Marshal has instituted a burn ban until further notice due to the hot, dry weather that we have been experiencing. This is a time to closely observe the fireworks bans and when you do discharge fireworks that you use good safety practices. Grasses, shrubs, and trees are bone dry after the record heat that we have experienced, and fire can spread fast in these conditions.

Remember, you can only shoot fireworks in approved areas 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 Arlington, 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, 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,

My Everett News:

https://myeverettnews.com/2021/06/29/you-can-buy-fireworks-south-of-everett-you-just-cant-shoot-them-off-there/

 

South County Fire Newsletter, “South County Siren”:

https://www.southsnofire.org/home/showpublisheddocument/3134/637602363306727279

 

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/81527/Stay-Safe-and-Legal-this-4th-of-July-flyer-2021?bidId=

  

Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office:

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

 

 

HEAT EMERGENCY– Resources to Keep Informed

If you haven’t heard about the hot weather coming this weekend you are truly disconnected. The local news has been tracking the coming heat, while local and state governmental agencies are sending out warnings and tips about burn bans, surviving hot weather, and looking out for our neighbors and our pets.

We are not used to hot weather in the Pacific Northwest, especially in June (normally it is “Juneuary”) and especially temperatures in the 90’s to 100’s. A high pressure area is setting up over us that is providing the heat. A high such as this is unusual to occur in June. Normally it will set up later in the summer, according to KIRO TV meteorologist Claire Anderson. So, hopefully, we will have a little cooler rest of the summer not a repeat of hot and dry weather as we have now.

Many local and state resources are chiming in on social media and the news about burn bans and taking care of ourselves in the 100-degree weather. Here is a handy listing of resources to learn about how to handle the heat and to keep up with the latest heat related information,

 

National Resources:

Ready.gov with information on how to survive extreme heat:

https://www.ready.gov/heat

 

National Weather Service:

https://www.weather.gov/sew/

  

Snohomish County Resources:

Burn Ban Press Release:

https://www.snohomishcountywa.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=2138

 

Fire Marshal:

https://www.snohomishcountywa.gov/1113/Fire-Marshal

 

Snohomish Health District:

Cooling Stations:

https://www.snohd.org/BusinessDirectoryii.aspx?ysnShowAll=0&lngNewPage=3&txtLetter=&txtZipCode=&txtCity=&txtState=&txtBusinessName=&lngBusinessCategoryID=31&txtCustomField1=&txtCustomField2=&txtCustomField3=&txtCustomField4=&txtAreaCode=

 

Information on surviving extreme heat:

https://www.snohd.org/228/Weather

 

VACATION CRIME PREVENTION– Protecting Yourself While You Are On Your Get Away

As more people get COVID vaccines and more venues, restaurants, theaters, etc. open up and plan to open up, more and more people are also making plans to take a vacation. While on your relaxing trip, there are physical things you can do to protect yourself and your property. But more and more, there are things that we need to do to protect ourselves from identity theft and scams.

Some physical things to do before your vacation and on your vacation include,

•                     Let someone know where you are going, the route you plan to take, when you plan to arrive and how to contact you. If you deviate from that plan, let someone know.

•                     Make sure your house appears “lived-in” when you are away. Lock all doors and windows, set household lights (inside and out) on timers.

•                     Trim your hedges and bushes so thieves cannot have a place to hide out.

•                     Have a car parked in your driveway to make it appear as if someone is home.

•                     Have a neighbor pick up your mail and newspapers while you are away or have your mail held at the post office and have the newspaper hold delivery until you get back.  

•                     Always lock your car doors. Keep valuables out of sight, preferably in the trunk of your car.

•                     Never pick up hitchhikers.

•                     Park in well-lighted areas and close to the building.

•                     Do not stop alongside the road if possible. If your car is bumped from behind or if someone indicates there is something wrong with your car, go to a service station or a well-lighted, populated area and call for help.

•                     Fill the gas tank before dark; lock your car doors and roll up your windows if you step away from the car for any reason.

•                     Use all hotel locks and other security devices, even when you’re in your room.

•                     Store valuables in the room safe or in the facility’s main safe.

•                     Don’t tell strangers the name of your hotel, your room number, or other personal information.

•                     Guard your room keys. Don’t leave them unattended or visible at restaurants, the pool, or clubs.

•                     Don’t prop open your door or open your door to strangers. Use the peep hole before opening the door.

•                     Don’t leave your purse or bags unattended at hotel buffets or lounges.

 

 

Some steps you can take to protect the devices that you take with you, such as your smartphone and a tablet or laptop computer, and your identity, include,

•                     Lock down your account with strong, unique passwords, two factor authentication, biometrics, etc.

•                     Make sure all devices that you take with you are password protected and/or use biometrics to gain access.

•                     Set up “find my phone” features to find a lost device, to have the capability to wipe the data off of the device or disable it should it get into the wrong hands.

•                     If you use someone else’s computer, like at an airport, hotel, or internet café, don’t share information. Keep your online activity as generic as possible. If you do log into one of your accounts, like email, be sure to “logout;” clicking the “x” does not log you out of your accounts.

•                     Be savvy about Wi-Fi hotspots. Do not transmit personal information or make purchases over an unsecured network such as over an airport Wi-Fi. Use a VPN or your phone as a hotspot.

•                     Protect your devices. Be sure they are with you at all times. At a hotel, lock them in the room safe or in your luggage. When using your device in an internet café or the airport don’t leave it unattended.

•                     Manage location services on your apps. They can expose your location to others. Turn them off when not in use.  

 

 

United States Postal Service:

https://www.usps.com/manage/hold-mail.htm

 

National Cyber Security Alliance:

https://staysafeonline.org/resource/safety-tips-travelers/

https://staysafeonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/CyberTrip-Advisor_-Vacation.pdf

 

AARP Fraud Watch Network:

This podcast shows how scammers took advantage of a professional looking for a vacation rental to help with her recovery from breast cancer.

https://www.aarp.org/podcasts/the-perfect-scam/info-2021/vacation-home-scam.html

 

Federal Trade Commission:

https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0079-rental-listing-scams

https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2021/06/hello-summer-goodbye-scammers

https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2021/06/hot-rental-car-market-scams

https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2021/06/timeshares-yes-no-maybe

https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2021/06/dont-send-them-money

https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2021/06/what-know-you-buy-something-online-0

 

 

VACCINE LOTTERY – The Washington State Attorney General Issues a Warning

The Washington State Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has issued a warning about scammers taking advantage of the state’s vaccination lottery drawings, “Shot of a Lifetime.”

The AGO says, in a press release, that it has received some reports from citizens of callers attempting to use the program to scam Washingtonians.

The weekly drawings are being held on Tuesdays through July 13. The Washington State Lottery contacts winners primarily by phone. It emphasizes that Lottery representatives will never ask for personal information such as bank account information or Social Security numbers over the phone. Lottery representatives will clearly identify themselves. They will ask to confirm contact information, such as home address and email, so that they can send an official prize claim form to the winners.

The Lottery may also contact winners via email, or text message.

The AGO recommends that if you are suspicious of a phone call, voicemail message, email, or text that you think might be a scammer trying to take advantage of the vaccine lottery, to call the Washington Lottery directly at (360) 810-2888 to verify if the communication was authentically from the Washington Lottery.

A lottery such as the “Shot of a Lifetime” is a natural for scammers to try to take advantage of the public. Hearing that you might have won $250,000, or even tickets to a Mariners or Seahawks game, an Xbox, or other lesser prize will get you excited. With all of the talk of scams that we have heard in the last few years, many people will naturally be skeptical if they receive a call purporting to be from the Lottery. Calling (360) 810-2888 can help you confirm if you indeed are a winner and help tip off the Lottery on scams that are using its name.

Here are some other things to look for if you receive a Lottery related call, email, or text:

·         A call or text that claims to be from the Lottery that comes from an out-of-state phone number is a scam. The Lottery will use a phone number from the 253 or 564 Washington area codes.

·         An email prize notification will come from an email address that ends in “@doh.wa.gov.”

·         If a caller is rude or pushy, can’t or won’t answer detailed questions, demands your Social Security number or banking information, or says you need to pay a fee to claim your prize, that is a scammer. HANG UP!

·         An email or text that requires you to click on a link, that is a malicious email or text.

·         The communication tells you that you are a COVID Lottery winner even though you know that you have not been immunized. The winners are taken from a database of individuals who have been vaccinated held by the Washington State Department of Health.

 

Washington State Attorney General’s Office:

https://www.atg.wa.gov/news/news-releases/consumer-alert-beware-scams-related-washington-s-covid-vaccine-lottery-program?fbclid=IwAR2CM2bgJ4DgFvgZ37d6YdlZi--c2YKiY926kli-gGFx5hb8yVVSosu6Gdk

 

ADDICTION TREATMENT – Finding Neutral Unbiased Advice on Where to Go

When you want to find treatment for an addiction for yourself or a loved one, you want advice that you know is unbiased and in your best interests. You do not want a sales job.

The Washington State Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has come to an agreement with a private marketing company that the AGO found to be masquerading as a neutral source for addiction treatment referrals.

According to the AGO, Recovery Worldwide operates several websites that contain advertising for substance abuse treatment facilities. Recovery Worldwide labeled the websites as impartial resources without disclosing that much of their content was paid advertising.  

The AGO found that when people called Recovery Worldwide, they would be routed to sales representatives for addiction treatment facilities that had paid Recovery Worldwide to forward calls to them. The sales representatives did not consider the individual’s treatment needs or their preferred location. Most locations offered were outside of Washington State. The AGO could only find a few treatment centers listed for Washington State, where the treatment web site for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) listed dozens of addiction treatment centers in Seattle alone.

The AGO obtained a consent decree that requires Recovery Worldwide to clearly disclose online content that is paid advertising and label paid listings as advertising.

The AGO recommends that if you are looking for treatment for an addiction, that you use resources that will give you unbiased alternatives. Two resources that it recommends include:

 

 

Washington Recovery Help Line:

Phone- (866) 789-1511

Website- http://www.warecoveryhelpline.org/

 

Findtreatment.gov (SAMHSA):

Website- https://findtreatment.gov/

 

Washington State Attorney General’s Office:

https://www.atg.wa.gov/news/news-releases/consumer-alert-watch-out-marketers-posing-neutral-unbiased-addiction-treatment

 

 

 

IDENTITY THEFT – A Profound Effect on People’s Lives

All crime victimizes people. Burglaries deprive homeowners and businesses of possessions that can be essential to their livelihood or business. Car theft deprives a car owner of transportation that may be essential to go to work. Domestic violence can take away the freedom of a survivor or even endanger her life.

The Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) in a recent report on how identity crimes impact its victims points out that identity theft causes significant hardship for a substantial portion of identity theft victims.

ITRC is a non-profit organization that supports victims of identity theft and educates the public about identity theft, data breaches, cyber security, scams/fraud, and privacy issues.

In its 2021 Aftermath Report, ITRC concluded that:

1.      The number of repeat victims is increasing.

2.      Victims are struggling more to meet their financial obligations.

 

The report’s key findings include:

·         While most victims lost less than $500, 21% told ITRC that they lost more than $20,000 to identity theft.

·         Almost one third (29%) of victims contacting the ITRC have been victimized previously.

·         Very few identity theft victims can resolve their identity theft issues easily-

o   1% of victims who contacted the ITRC said that they could resolve their issues in one day.

o   Pre-pandemic, 37% of identity crime victims victimized in 2019 were not able to resolve those issues as of May 2020.

o   During the pandemic, 75% of victims victimized in 2020 said that their issues were still unresolved as of April 2021.

The unemployment fraud by thieves by stealing payments from state governments has had a tremendous effect on state budgets and on the privacy for individuals. The fraudsters typically would use stolen private information to impersonate people to direct unemployment and stimulus payments to the fraudster’s bank accounts.

People reporting to ITRC as victims of unemployment and stimulus fraud in 2020 had significant financial and emotional impacts,

·         A majority said that they had more stress than usual and that they felt being violated.

·         40% could not pay their routine bills.

·         33% did not have enough money to buy food or pay their utility bills.

·         14% were evicted for non-payment of rent or mortgage.

·         13% have not been able to get a temporary or permanent job as a result of identity theft.

 

By ITRC’s estimation, identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the U.S. The Federal Trade Commission reports a nearly 250% increase in the crime reported to between 2016 and 2020. As identity theft grows, so will its adverse effects on its victims. Even if many people will be able to recover many others will have a difficult time regaining their lives after someone has stolen their identity and stolen money, services, or products in their name.

 

 

Identity Theft Resource Center:

https://www.idtheftcenter.org/the-identity-theft-resource-centers-2021-consumer-aftermath-report-reveals-impacts-on-covid-19-identity-crime-victims/

Recovering from identity theft can be complicated and confusing. If you have a question about a potential identity theft situation or believe you are a victim of identity theft and need help you can contact ITRC, for free, online at  https://www.idtheftcenter.org/ or by calling (888) 400-5530.

 

 

AARP Fraud Watch Network:

Another organization that gives free help on identity theft or scams is AARP. Its Fraud Watch Network is available to anyone, not just AARP members. For information on scams go to https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/. You can call their helpline at (877) 908-3360 for specific help on a scam.