Sunset Bay Association News

Smart 911 Could Save Your Life

Wed, 27 Jan 2016 16:29:52 GMT

9-1-1 call takers and first responders need your help!

Currently, there is very little location information about a 9-1-1 caller especially if you call on a mobile phone.

Help the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office help you in an emergency by signing up at smart911.com.

You can enter potentially lifesaving information like your home address, medications you are taking, or if you have any pets at smart911.com. By entering this information into the private and secure website, smart911.com, we can respond faster and more efficiently.

Be smart about your safety and sign up at smart911.com!

Emergency Services Seek Public Input on Updated Draft Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan

Fri, 16 Oct 2015 15:52:01 GMT

Mayville, NY– The Chautauqua County Office of Emergency Services is seeking additional public input on the updated draft of the County’s Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan.

“Public participation in the planning process is critical to the successful development and implementation of the County’s comprehensive strategy to reduce vulnerability to hazards,” said Julius Leone, Director of Chautauqua County Emergency Services.

The plan will be available for review from 10/7/15 through 11/9/15. Comments on the draft plan will be accepted through 11/10/15. Read More

Read the Plan

CSX Train strands Sunset Bay residents for more than 6 hours

Mon, 29 Jun 2015 15:29:39 GMT

(Photo: Bernie Lomack)

A CSX train broke down on the tracks Sunday and blocked access to and from both Sunset Bay and Hanford Bay for more than six hours - from about 2:30 to 9 p.m. - leaving residents on both sides of the tracks stranded. Although there is a private roadway between both Sunset Bay and Hanford Bay, when the train spans both Allegany and Hanover roads, there is no access to any roadway to get to medical care.

The Sunset Bay Fire Department was prepared to answer any emergency calls. “If someone needs medical attention we are prepared to pass them through the stopped train cars and transport them to the hospital,” said Town of Hanover Supervisor Todd Johnson, also a volunteer firefighter for Sunset Bay who was on the scene Sunday evening.

Residents of Sunset Bay have noted that the tracks have been blocked more often than normal recently.

Residents also expressed their continued concerned about the ability to get out of Sunset Bay by accessing the Hanover Rd crossing when just the Alleghany Rd crossing is blocked. There is an access road with a locked gate which separates Hanford Bay and Sunset Bay. In this situation, both the Sunset Bay and Silver Creek Fire Departments as well as the Chautauqua Co Sheriffs have keys and are able to unlock the gate in case of a blocked track on one of the rail road crossings. On Sunday, when both crossings were blocked, this would not have alleviated the situation.

Of additional concern to residents of Sunset Bay is the presence of new and more frequent shipments of crude oil that is being carried on these trains. Frank Boniface, a long time resident of Sunset Bay, brought his concerns to the Hanover Town Board in April of this year as reported in the Sunset Bay Observer:

"What happens if an oil train explodes? I have stood and counted the oil cars and there are at least 100 when they go by. Does the county have a plan?" he asked. "I am less concerned about putting the fire out and more concerned about getting the people out."

...Hanover Disaster Coordinator Steve D'Angelo said it will be up to the disaster team to determine evacuation plans for the bay areas along with the help of the county, the railroad and the Federal Railroad Transportation Board.

He noted that because there are so many variables that go into planning for something like a train derailment, it is hard to plan for exactly what will happen.

There are plans and training in place to deal with fires from this type of disaster and recent interest may take that a step further. However, evacuation plans need to be updated as a result of this new issue.

for more on this article, please see the Sunset Bay Observer

CSX officials were unavailable for comment Sunday evening.

For any Railroad Emergencies, including blocked crossings, crossing accidents, signal problems, hazardous materials release, unsafe driving, theft, vandalism or trespassing, CSX can be contacted at 1-800-232-0144

ObserverToday Article

June is National Safety Month

Fri, 29 May 2015 11:40:42 GMT

June is National Safety Month and in light of that the Chautauqua County Sheriffs have asked us to inform you about Smart911 and ask that you sign up for this so that they can better respond to emergencies called in via your cell phones. In addition, we've included the National Safety Month Guide which includes information on:

Preventing prescription drug abuse
Stopping slips, trips and falls
Summer safety
Putting an end to distracted driving

Please read, sign-up and be safe. SafetyMonth_eBook_Final.pdf

Smart911

Today over 70% of calls made to 9-1-1 in the U.S. are made from mobile phones, and these mobile phones relay limited information about the caller. Unlike a landline, a mobile phone does not link directly to an address or include a caller’s name. 9-1-1 call takers are trained to ask specific questions to determine the location of the emergency, who is in need of assistance and other specific details in order to send the correct response teams, tot he correct location, quickly.

These questions can take time, and often during an emergency the caller may not be able to speak, or may be too panicked to effectively communication. When your Smart911 Safety Profile immediately appears to the call taker, the information you have provided can help the dispatcher obtain the information they need to help you quickly.

Smart911 is a free service used by public safety agencies across the country to enhance communication and response for their community. It can be used by 9-1-1 agencies to quickly send first responders to the location of an emergency with more information, by emergency management to better plan for and respond to disasters, and by municipalities to send emergency notifications to their citizens.

By creating a Safety Profile for your family, you are providing potentially life-saving information to public safety officials at the time when they need it most.

The 9-1-1 service of Smart911 allows you to create a Safety Profile for your household which will proactively provide details on your family and home that 9-1-1 may need in order to send help in the event of an emergency.

The emergency management service of Smart911 allows you to answer questions about yourself, your family and your household that will help emergency management officials plan for and respond to disasters by being able to understand the needs of their community.

The emergency notification service of Smart911 allows you to opt-in to receive alerts from your community through a variety of communication channels including voice, text or email.

While every community may offer a different combination of services to their citizens, your Smart911 account will allow you to opt-in and manage all services available to you in one place. Smart911 is free, private and secure and endorsed by citizens, community groups and public safety officials. Smart911’s availability is constantly expanding as communities across the country are implementing one or all of the three services offered to enhance their public safety services.