Page 46 - Sonoma County Gazatte May 2017

Smoke Alarms for Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Working smoke alarms save lives. However, people who are deaf or hard of hearing may not be able to depend on the traditional smoke alarm to alert them to a re. Install smoke alarms in every bedroom. They should also be outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home. Interconnect all the smoke alarms. If one sounds, they all sound. This gives people more time to escape.
1) Strobe lights ash when the smoke alarm sounds.
2) When people who are deaf are asleep, a pillow or bed shaker can wake them
Special Equipment & Alarms
so they can escape. The shaker is activated by the sound of a smoke alarm.
3) When people who are hard of hearing are asleep, a loud, mixed, low-pitched
sound alert device and/or a pillow or bed shaker are triggered by the alarm.
By Tre Gibbs, LAAS
Jupiter, The Roman King of the Gods, is back and putting on a brilliant
show for observers here on planet Earth, rising in the east about the same time the sun is setting in the west. So much to say about this amazing world, it’s hard to know where to begin...
Jupiter is a giant ball of gas. When you see Jupiter’s surface in pictures or through a telescope, you are looking at the tops of clouds. In fact, the famous Great Red Spot is a huge, 350 year old storm, roughly the size of Earth.
Jupiter has about 67 moons, four of which can be seen with a pair of binoculars – if you observe them on a clear, wind-less night and you also hold those binoculars very still. The astronomer Galileo Galilei discovered them back in 1609 or 1610 using a modest telescope. He rst assumed they were simply background stars – until he observed that they appeared to travel across the
sky with Jupiter. Since then, NASA has sent spacecraft to actually study those moons and as a result, scientists have recently con rmed that at least one of those moons, Europa, has a huge subsurface ocean – and potentially, some form of life!
You think time flies here on Earth? A day on Jupiter lasts less than half of ours. The giant planet completes one full rotation on it’s axis in just under 10 hours, which causes it’s middle to bulge slightly. In contrast, a year on Jupiter would last the equivalent of about twelve Earth years, since that’s how long it takes Jupiter to orbit the sun. Someone 54 years old on Earth would only be 4 and a half on Jupiter!
Jupiter has a ring system, although it’s nothing like Saturn’s magni cent ring system. Jupiter’s rings are made of dark, reddish dust while Saturn’s rings are made of 99% water ice, which re ects sunlight extremely well, making them brilliant and very obvious. Because Jupiter’s rings are so dark, only a closeup photo will render them visible.
Finally, Jupiter is big. REALLY big. Jupiter is the largest planet in our Solar System – approximately eleven Earth’s could t across it’s widest part. And since the larger something is the more gravity it has, Jupiter often acts as a cosmic bodyguard. As life threatening objects (such as asteroids) speed through our Solar System, Jupiter’s enormous gravity gently pulls those potentially deadly objects o of their trajectory, possibly saving our planet from an impact of catastrophic proportions.
Now,The Moon! On May 10th, we’re treated to this month’s full moon, known as the “Full Flower Moon”, since May is the time of year of increasing fertility – with temperatures warm enough for safely bearing young, no more frost and lots of owers. A few days earlier, on May 7th, mighty Jupiter will accompany the Moon across the sky. Look for both in the east southeast just after sunset and watch Jupiter gradually appear above and to the right of the moon, as these two cosmic beacons wander the sky as a pair, engaged in a brief but spectacular celestial interlude.
Stay tuned next month for the Summer Solstice and the return of Saturn! Until then, KEEP LOOKING UP!
Tre Gibbs is an amateur astronomer, a member of the Los Angeles Astronomical Society, a working voice over actor and a former narrator of LIVE planetarium shows at the world famous Griffith Observatory for almost a decade prior to his relocating to Sonoma County, which is by far his favorite place (here on Earth...).
Search home improvement stores/websites look for strobe light smoke alarms. BRK / First Alert, Gentex, and Kidde brands o er this type of smoke alarm. Find smoke alarm accessories such as pillow shakers, transmitters, and receivers at lifetonesafety.com, safeawake.com, and silentcall.com. Choose devices that have the label of a recognized testing laboratory.
Rancho Adobe Fire District: By Mark Hemmendinger
In March, RAFD nalized an agreement with the City of Petaluma to provide re chief services to RAFD for 2017. This agreement was forged after Chief Frank Treanor retired January 1, 2017 after 11 years with RAFD. The new chief of the Department is Leonard Thompson, Chief of Petaluma and formerly assistant Chief of the Los Angeles City/County Fire Department. Chief Thompson spent his career with that department. In the short time with RAFD, Chief Thompson has been treating the RAFD as an extension of his existing Department with regard to training, resources, and response. This agreement is an experiment with combining some of the southern Sonoma re districts in a way that has been discussed, but not previously attempted, through the County Advisory Fire Board and the recent Fire Study by the County of Sonoma in ways to improve services with better use of resources. Unique to this agreement is the development of the agreement out of the interest of the re ghters and command sta of both agencies. Most shared agreements have originated from the top down, and this one is unique having been forged from the bottom up, giving us some hope that the experiment will succeed where others have failed. In his short time with RAFD, Chief Thompson has received the full support of the Board and department. His inclusive style and e ective communication with the department are continuing to build on the morale and direction established
by Chief Treanor in this 11 years with RAFD
Forestville Fire: May 7th Pancake Breakfast! Don’t forget to join us on May 7th at the Forestville Fire station for some pancakes, eggs, sausage, co ee, orange juice and milk. The price for adults is $7 and $5 for kids and Seniors. We’ll have t-shirts and sweat shirts for sale, the Fire Safety Trailer, Free Book Mobile for the kids and a BIG ra e with great prizes. See you there!.
Graton Fire: May 21st 39th Annual Pancake Breakfast! As you know, the Graton community has made our breakfast one of the biggest and best anywhere in Sonoma County. It is our one and only fundraiser to support the volunteers. Last year, over 1,500 people attend the breakfast... this may be a new record! We will have Fire Engines, Police Cars, Ambulances, SWAT Tank, and Helicopters on display for the kids as well as other displays. Thank you to all of the people who have donated raffle prizes in the past; from wine to B&B gift certificates, lawn mowers to jewelry – we had over 200 winners last year.
If you live in our district, you should receive a Graton Fire flyer in your mailbox. The menu includes all you can eat pancakes, sausage (it was a huge hit the last four years), scrambled eggs, Manzana apple juice, orange juice, milk, hot chocolate, tea and coffee. Gluten-free pancakes and sugar-free syrup are available... just ask! Price is $5 adults and $3 kids. The pancake breakfast is from 7am to noon; avoid 9 to 10:30, because this is usually the busiest time. We have added more grills and a “pre-sale” line to try and keep up as well. T-shirts, sweatshirts, glasses, and other items will be on sale at the breakfast. Address signs can be made “while-you-eat.” Hope to see you there!
46 - www.sonomacountygazette.com - 5/17
A Guide to the Night Sky MAY 2017