Sugar
Land
Local Stories
of interest
Sugar Land Residential Solid Waste Changes
As part of a contract the City of Sugar Land signed on June 17,
2003, with Allied Waste, formerly known as BFI, the City agreed to raise the
cost of residential solid waste pick-up from $10.70 to $11.57, effective Oct. 1,
2005. The new rate will be reflected on October utility bills and will remain
the same through the end of the current contract on Sept. 30, 2008.
New Sugar Land residential solid waste collection routes began on
Sept. 1, which do not impact the day but may impact the time your trash is
normally picked up.
City code requires garbage to be placed at the curb by 7 a.m. the
day of collection to guarantee pick-up. Allied Waste may collect garbage from 7
a.m. until 6:30 p.m.
For questions regarding solid waste service, contact the City at
281-275-2450.
Partnership To Save
Lives: Install
Smoke Alarms
The
Sugar Land Fire Department and Exchange Club of Sugar Land recently went
door-to-door installing free smoke alarms and replacing batteries throughout
Sugar Land.
“The teams went to 238 homes, spoke with 117 residents, installed 96 free smoke
alarms and replaced 47 smoke alarm batteries,” said Sugar Land fire Capt. Mike
McLemore, public education specialist. “We are very fortunate to have such a
great partnership with the members of the Exchange Club of Sugar Land. It’s
great to see community volunteers who freely give up a Saturday to help
firefighters in an activity we know saves lives!”
In
keeping with the National Fire Protection Association’s 2004 Fire Prevention
Week theme -- “Test Your Smoke Alarms” -- Sugar Land firefighters also
challenged each other to find new and innovative opportunities to install smoke
alarms. The winning A-shift crew of Fire Station 4 located at 2100 Austin
Parkway installed 50 smoke alarms throughout the month.
“In many cases, our fire crews offer to check smoke alarms after responding to
residential fire alarm calls that turn out to be minor in nature,” said
McLemore. “If neighbors are outside, firefighters ask if they can check their
smoke alarms prior to the fire truck leaving the scene. Firefighters often find
smoke alarms that are not working, have not been tested or are more than 10
years old in these homes.”
The National Fire Protection Association recommends smoke alarms that are 10
years old or older be replaced due to sensor deterioration that can delay early
notification.
“If you think about it, the NFPA’s advice makes sense. During 10 years of
service, these sensors log more than 88,000 hours,” said McLemore.
For scheduling a free home fire safety inspection or smoke alarm installation,
contact the Sugar Land Fire Public Education Office at 281-275-2859. For more
information on the NFPA, click
www.nfpa.org.
Do
You Need to Know?
If you have a terminally ill or elderly family member with numerous medical
complications living with you, the Sugar Land Fire Department wants you to be
fully informed about an Out of Hospital Do Not Resuscitate Order (OOH-DNR).
This legally binding form allows patients to direct emergency responders and
health care professionals in an out-of-hospital setting to withhold specific
life sustaining treatments in the event of respiratory or cardiac arrest.
A firefighter’s natural
response is to act quickly and provide immediate life saving care for all
patients. “We want to alleviate as much confusion about the at-home directive
before an emergency situation exists, relieving stress on the family members and
first arriving emergency responders,” said Captain Mike McLemore, public
education specialist.
Individuals can obtain a
copy of the OOH-DNR form from the Texas Department of Health’s website:
http://www.tdh.state.tx.us/hcqs/ems/dnr.pdf This form is separate from Do
Not Resuscitate (DNR) forms completed at hospitals and valid only in the
hospital. When the patient is at home, an OOH-DNR form is required to fulfill
the patient and/or family wishes.
“We stress a copy of the
OOH-DNR always be with the patient so emergency responders and other healthcare
providers can be provided the information immediately in a crisis situation,”
said McLemore. “The OOH-DNR can also be a specific identification device
in the form of a bracelet
or necklace obtained from approved manufacturers. Once an OOH-DNR is executed,
the emergency responders are only able to administer pain control and comfort
care.”
The following important
rules for an executable OOH-DNR should be known:
·
OOH-DNR
orders do not apply to pregnant women;
·
Health care
professionals must honor the OOH-DNR unless it is revoked by the patient,
physician directive or a person having medical power of attorney for health care
for the patient;
·
If a patient
is comatose or otherwise incompetent and unable to communicate, the person’s
legal guardian or individual with medical power of attorney for the patient may
execute the order;
·
There is no
time related criteria or time limit to the OOH-DNR;
·
A copy
and/or an out-of-state OOH-DNR with all necessary signatures are currently
acceptable in Texas;
·
In all
cases, the desire of a competent patient supersedes the OOH-DNR order.
“This is such a delicate
subject to discuss and we know a OOH-DNR is not for everyone,” said McLemore.
“If it is your desire to utilize an OOH-DNR, you must prepare in advance.”
For more information about
an OOH-DNR, ask your local healthcare provider or go to the Texas Department of
Health’s website at:
www.tdh.state.tx.us .
