Thursday, March 28, 2024

Steady As She Goes: Jenn Blackstock Is Prepared, Ready for Anything

Safety is a high priority for the Southlake team. The extraordinary men and women in our Police and Fire Departments are the poster children for keeping people safe, even if it requires putting themselves in harm’s way. The Public Works teams regularly test water quality. Building inspectors ensure homes are constructed according to code. In addition, the City even has a safety committee that works hard to promote workplace safety. There are many examples of city staff working routinely to protect the community’s well-being. But one of the most notable safety champions on the team is someone you may not always think of – Jenn Blackstock, the Community Services Aquatics Supervisor.

“Champions Club is all about offering fun experiences for our members,” said Chris Tribble, Director of Community Services. “But we also strongly emphasize safety. And when it comes to safety, no one is more focused and effective than Jenn Blackstock.”

A quick review of Jenn’s responsibilities shows the extent of her work:

  • Responsible for all safety training for Marq staff, including CPR/First Aid/AED certification classes, teaching lifeguard certification classes, and is responsible for First Aid and Stop the Bleed kits supplies,
  • Conducts in-service training for aquatics staff,
  • Coordinates annual review of The Marq’s Emergency Action Plan with City’s Emergency Manager,
  • Responsible for Champions Club water quality management and for providing input for City water quality checks,
  • Oversees Learn to Swim program, which provides instruction to over 1,000 participants,
  • In the process of developing and implementing the future Southlake Water Safety Program,
  • And assists with establishing and implementing the Community Services’ Incident Report Form and workflow.

“Jenn is steady as she goes, calm and level-headed; someone you can always count on in a crisis,” said Deputy Director of Community Services David Miller. “She is smart, organized, and always well-prepared. Her leadership strengthens the overall safety at Champions Club, especially in the pool and the pool area.”

For all she does to ensure that the staff and patrons of Champions Club are safe and secure, Jenn is being recognized as one of the City’s unsung heroes. Many thanks to Jenn and her team for their commitment to safety.

 

September is National Preparedness Month. Are you prepared?

Sometimes emergencies and disasters happen when we least expect them and sometimes we have a little bit of a heads up that trouble is on the way. We can’t always prevent disasters from happening, but we can be prepared to deal with them. Having a plan is key.

In the City of Southlake, the Office of Emergency Management, OEM, works diligently to maintain and update a Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan. Being rated with an advanced preparedness profile by the State of Texas, the City of Southlake’s plan outlines more than 25 different sections with plans to address everything from sheltering, evacuation, search and rescue, debris clean up, as well as the best ways to communicate important information to residents before, during and after the disaster.

National Preparedness Month is more than recognizing how the City is prepared to respond to a disaster, it’s also a good reminder of how you can be prepared too.

“Disasters are always hard to anticipate and really be prepared for, but having a plan can make a big difference,” notes Southlake Emergency Management Coordinator Amanda Meneses. “It’s important to be prepared, and not just in the month of September. The OEM is ready to respond, but there are a few things residents can do on their own to help them prepare.”

  • Have an emergency preparedness kit that will last your family for at least 72 hours, don’t forget to plan for pets.
  • Know how you will communicate with your family during an emergency and have a designated meeting place. Having a relative outside of the area as a known point of contact is recommended.
  • Learn basic lifesaving skills like CPR and first aid. You can take both of the classes with Southlake DPS. The OEM also offers classes on demand for various emergency management and preparedness skills.
  • Take the time to double check your insurance policies and make sure you have the right coverage for the area.
  • Know how to shut off the water and gas in your home.
  • If you don’t already have an emergency fund, start saving for one. Dealing with an emergency can add up quickly.

The Office of Emergency Management is a great resource for residents. Visit their website, or email them at OEM@cityofsouthlake.com to learn more about classes and how you can be prepared.

2nd Annual Staying Alive Event Set for February 2015!

UPDATE 2-9-2015: There is still time to sign up!  Contact Southlake DPS Community Initiatives Coordinator Renni Burt at (817) 748-8349 to get your spot on the list.

Sign up now for the next “Staying Alive” event scheduled for Saturday, February 14, 2015 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the DPS North Training facility. 

Anyone can learn CPR – and everyone should! Sadly, 70 percent of Americans may feel helpless to act during a cardiac emergency because they either do not know how to administer CPR or their training has significantly lapsed. You never know when this alarming statistic could hit close to home, because home is exactly where 88 percent of cardiac arrests occur. Put very simply: The life you save with CPR is mostly likely to be someone you love.

If you haven’t had CPR training in a while, this is the perfect opportunity to learn the best practices for performing CPR in the event of a medical emergency.  Classes are FREE and instruction is “hands only.” Classes will be held every 20 minutes.

There will also be lots of fun activities for kids and families and lots of giveaways! We hope to see you there so mark calendars now for Saturday, February 14, 2015 — DPS North Training Facility 100 East Dove Rd. — from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. You may contact Community Initiatives Coordinator Renni Burt at (817) 748-8349 to sign up.

For more information about the importance of CPR see the following ‘Fact Sheet’ from the American Heart Association.

CPR & Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA)
Fact Sheet

The American Heart Association is calling on all Americans to learn how to give Hands-Only CPR.  Once you have learned CPR, give 5 people you care about the power to save lives by equipping them to act quickly in a crisis.

Don’t be afraid; your actions can only help. If you see an unresponsive adult who is not breathing or not breathing normally, call 911 and push hard and fast on the center of the chest.

WHY LEARN CPR?
Cardiac arrests are more common than you think, and they can happen to anyone at any time.

  • Nearly 383,000 out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrests occur annually, and 88 percent of cardiac arrests occur at home.
  • Many victims appear healthy with no known heart disease or other risk factors.
  • Sudden cardiac arrest is not the same as a heart attack.
    • Sudden cardiac arrest occurs when electrical impulses in the heart become rapid or chaotic, which causes the heart to suddenly stop beating.
    • A heart attack occurs when the blood supply to part of the heart muscle is blocked. A heart attack may cause cardiac arrest.

WHO CAN YOU SAVE WITH CPR?
The life you save with CPR is mostly likely to be a loved one.

  • Four out of five cardiac arrests happen at home.
  • Statistically speaking, if called on to administer CPR in an emergency, the life you save is likely to be someone at home: a child, a spouse, a parent or a friend.
  • African-Americans are almost twice as likely to experience cardiac arrest at home, work or in another public location than Caucasians, and their survival rates are twice as poor as for Caucasians.

WHY TAKE ACTION?

  • Failure to act in a cardiac emergency can lead to unnecessary deaths.
  • Effective bystander CPR provided immediately after sudden cardiac arrest can double or triple a victim’s chance of survival, but only 32 percent of cardiac arrest victims get CPR from a bystander.
  • Sadly, less than eight percent of people who suffer cardiac arrest outside the hospital survive.
  • The American Heart Association trains more than 12 million people in CPR annually, to equip Americans with the skills they need to perform bystander CPR.

If you are unable to make it to the event or a CPR class, the American Heart Association has put together a short video that will show you how to give CPR by watching a simple one-minute video at heart.org/cpr.

StayingAlive Invitation-15

170 Receive Hands-Only CPR Training at Staying Alive Southlake

Staying Alive in Southlake CPR ClassIn honor of National Heart Month and the American Heart Association’s (AHA) annual Go Red for Women campaign, the City of Southlake, in partnership with AHA, Southlake Chamber of Commerce, Carroll ISD, Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Southlake and other community organizations, hosted the inaugural Staying Alive Southlake event February 15 at Southlake’s DPS North Station. Open to the public, more than 170 adults and youth received hands-only CPR training from Southlake DPS and employees of Texas Health Southlake. In addition, approximately $8000 was raised for AHA through corporate sponsorships and private contributions at the event.

“We had a great turnout for a first-time event and it was a successful partnership between the City, event sponsors and several other organizations  ̶  everyone pitched in and did their part,” commented Southlake Fire Chief Mike Starr. “Anytime we get kids involved in CPR training, the better chance we have of saving lives for the younger generation.”

As heart disease is the number one killer of Americans, the goal was to provide the Southlake community with a free, heart healthy and educational event to help raise awareness about heart disease, as well as preventive measures. Activities included health screenings; family exercise ideas; heart healthy recipes and samples from Central Market Southlake; and fun giveaways from health fair vendors.

According to Amanda Haggerty, director of marketing for AHA Tarrant County, nearly 400,000 cardiac arrests occur annually in the United States, and more than 7,200 DFW residents died from cardiovascular diseases in 2012. Hands-only CPR, which is performed to the rhythm of the disco classic “Stayin’ Alive” and has more than 100 beats per minute, can more than double or triple a person’s chance of survival.

“Texas Health Southlake was thrilled to be a part of Staying Alive Southlake and we look forward to training more people next year,” said Traci Bernard, RN, president of Texas Health Southlake, noting 37 hospital employees volunteered at the event. “Knowing how-to perform CPR is something everyone should learn and we would much rather help people prevent heart disease than see them go to an emergency room.”

Save the Date: Staying Alive in Southlake CPR Training Event-Saturday, February 15

SPARK Community SAVE THE DATE for a family event ! Take a tour the brand new State-of-the-art Southlake Fire Station, have everyone in your family learn “hands only” CPR and get great tips on living happy and healthy!