William "Bill" Wall: His Stuff Rescued From The Trash

Found it in the dumpster in the month of September, 2014 or maybe it was October. It was cold. We were coming home around six in the evening and there was a large dumpster on the street adjacent to ours. Knowing that dumpsters provide people with things that they might need in bad times; One mans trash is another mans treasure. Right?  So I asked Bridget, my niece, if she wanted to go check it out. Her and I, Zachary, go and check it out. When we got to the back door of the dumpster out front of the property to see if there was no lock, the latch was sticking out as if it was just slightly closed. I pulled it open and it came open and revealed a nearly full dumpster of many common things that you would see in the house. Dishes, toiletries, bags of clothes, some office supply, and at first we thought we might be able to find some food or maybe something worth keeping so we started looking. 

After we got into  a bag of clothes, there were a lot of old style sweaters, socks, papes, some family pictures, etc. They really cleaned out this house and it seemed that there was no family involved in the clean-up work. Why would a family member toss out the collection of Olympic neck ties? Yes, the second or third bag was full of neck ties that were probably all from some Olympic Games.We don't wear ties (anymore) so we left them and dug a little deeper. After about an hour of digging into thrown away items, like Olympic Collector pins

A few Olympic Pins From Bill Wall's Collection

, we realized that there really might be something of high value in this dumpster. We moved cautiously and tried to get in there deep towards the bottom. We never got half way down. It was overwhelmingly sad as we picked into the past of a man that seemed to be into the Olympics a whole bunch! We gathered things for nearly 6 hours and it was very early hours of the morning by then. We decided to go take what we had which accumulated around the back doors of the bin, in all amounting to around six (6) laundry basket sized or large armload sized piles. 

At home I looked for the name Bill Wall as I found it written on some papers and I had a neat directors chair that had this name.

So I looked him up and was amazed to find him as a real important person in the world of American Basketball. He founded the American Basketball Asso. and the Woman's Hall Of Fame for Basketball. I wanted to go back and get more stuff but needed to sleep and go to work first. After work that day, the dumpster was gone.

I have all his stuff and would like to get it out there into his fans eyes. So here is piece of history that I believe IS the first, hand made, model of the bear chosen as Mascot for the 1980 Russian Olympics. It has real fur, tiny beads sewn together to make the eyes, a red leather belt with gold colored "Olympic Rings" as a buckle. He also has a sticker on the foot that has Russian writing on it. I am working on the translation now.

So here is a first look at a very rare stuffed teddy bear that made history in the 1980 Olympic Games as the most loved mascot of all

.

A Fireman In Your House 24 Hours A Day: Fire Sprinklers

       Look around on the ceiling of your house. Do you see a sprinkler head? Your residential sprinkler may look similar to the following images. Your residential sprinkler stands ready 24 hours a day to detect and suppress fires before they can become a threat to lives and property. Residential fire sprinklers are designed to react more quickly than their cousins (commercial sprinklers) and thus start fighting fire within seconds of reaching a certain temperature. It's like having a fireman right there in your house! Each sprinkler is designed to operates independently, so only those in the affected area will go off. This why it is necessary to have sprinklers in every room (even the closets). It is the intention of the designers of the sprinkler system to get water onto the fire in any room of your house. This is like having several firemen in your home all at the same time!

Standard Recessed Sprinkler

Standard Sprinkler in Chrome

Standard Sprinkler in White

Just like a fireman, sprinklers need some attention every few years to make sure they are going to work at top performance when they are needed. This is normally done by trained professionals in the commercial industries, but is largely left to the homeowner in single family homes.

Are you the owner of home with sprinklers installed? Have you ever wondered if the system will work when needed? I thought the same thing at my house. So, here are a few things you can do on your own to help you gain some confidence in your "24 hour fireman."

Checking Your Sprinkler System

1. Check to make sure your sprinkler heads have not been painted.
2. Be sure all of your sprinkler heads are unobstructed. Check in your closets to make sure you have not stacked items up to high.
3. Do not ever hang anything from you sprinkler heads!
4. Check the water pressure gauge to be sure you have water pressure.
5. Be sure the shut-off valve is open.

If you have a negative answer to any of these above mentioned visual checks, you need to get this issue handled as soon as possible.

For more information, please feel free to contact your local fire sprinkler contractor for more information.

I will be glad to answer any questions. Please comment to this article with your questions.

ZTD

Stay Safe by FEMA

Staying safe & how to help

Posted by: Lars Anderson, Director, Public Affairs

Our thoughts and prayers go out to those who have been affected by Hurricane Sandy. While the worst of the weather is beyond some areas on the East Coast, Sandy remains a very large storm system that continues to pose life-threatening hazards for coastal and inland areas including high winds, heavy rains, dangerous storm surge and flash flooding, and snow and cold weather hazards in some areas.
Some important safety reminders if you’re in an area that has been, or is still being, impacted by this storm:

• Continue to listen to your local officials – If you evacuated and are returning home, make sure local officials have deemed the area safe to return to. If Sandy is still impacting your area and local officials give the order to evacuate, do so immediately.
• Stay off the roads - Emergency workers may be assisting people in flooded areas or cleaning up debris. You can help them by staying off the roads and out of the way.
• If your power is out, safely use a generator or candles - Never use a generator inside a home, basement, shed or garage even if doors and windows are open. Keep generators outside and far away from windows, doors and vents. Read both the label on your generator and the owner's manual and follow the instructions. If using candles, please use caution. If possible, use flashlights instead. If you must use candles, do not burn them on or near anything that can catch fire.
• Avoid downed power or utility lines - They may be live with deadly voltage. Stay away and report them immediately to your power or utility company.
• Don’t drive or walk through flood waters – It only takes a small amount of water to move people or vehicles. If you encounter a flooded roadway, don’t attempt to pass through water – turn around, don’t drown. And if your home has flood water inside or around it, don’t walk or wade in it. The water may be contaminated by oil, gasoline or raw sewage.

How to help those affected by Sandy

We’ve had a number of questions come in on our Facebook and Twitter accounts about how to help those who have been impacted by Hurricane Sandy. A few pointers to remember:

• Cash is the most efficient method of donating – Cash offers voluntary agencies the most flexibility in obtaining the most-needed resources and pumps money into the local economy to help businesses recover.
• Volunteer or donate through a trusted organization – At the national level, many voluntary, faith-based and community-based organizations are active in disasters, and are trusted ways to donate to disaster survivors. In addition to the national members, each state has its own list of voluntary organizations active in disasters.

Numerous blood drives have been canceled as a result of the storm and the Red Cross has a need for blood donations. To schedule a blood donation or for more information about giving blood or platelets, visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
Here’s a video from President Obama reminding everyone how we can help those in need after a disaster:



Latest update on FEMA’s activities

Last night, the President declared major disasters for New York and New Jersey, making disaster assistance available to those in the heaviest hit areas affected by the storm. Individuals and business owners who sustained losses in the following counties in New York and New Jersey can begin applying for assistance by registering online or on your phone atwww.DisasterAssistance.gov:

• Declared counties in New York: Bronx, Kings, Nassau, New York, Richmond, Suffolk, & Queens.
• Declared counties in New Jersey: Atlantic, Cape May, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean & Union Counties

Those impacted can also apply by calling 1-800-621-FEMA(3362) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and speech impaired.

In addition to federal disaster assistance being available in several counties, states and localities and the American Red Cross continue to operate emergency shelters in many states. You can search for open shelters by visiting the Red Cross website, downloading the FEMA smartphone app, or by texting the word “shelter” and a zip code to 43362 (4FEMA). For example, if you’re searching for a shelter in the 01234 zip code, you would text Shelter 01234.

Finally, we continue to work closely with our emergency management partners and are embedded with state teams to support response efforts and assess unmet needs. Our priority focus remains on life-saving and life-sustaining activities. Currently, more than 1,500 FEMA personnel are positioned along the East Coast working to support disaster preparedness and response operations, including search and rescue, situational awareness, communications and logistical support. Here are some details about our staff’s support:

• Twenty-eight teams comprised of 294 FEMA Corps members are pre-staged to support Sandy.
• Seven federal urban search and rescue task forces have been activated and are deploying in the Mid-Atlantic as needed and requested.
• Fourteen Incident Management Assistance Teams
• Twelve liaison officers are positioned in state emergency operations centers along the East Coast supporting preparedness activities and ensure there are no unmet needs.
• Ten Disability Integration Advisors supporting emergency management in ten states on current alert and warning, evacuation and sheltering needs and preparing for potential post-storm operations.

Please share these important safety reminders and we hope you’re taking every precaution to stay safe.

Fire Sprinkler Workers Installing

This a great ode to the sprinkler guys around the world.

Happy Fire Prevention Week

Instalación de Fire Sprinkler - YouTube

Nice Work!

Now look at the company that monitors the sprinklers.
First Trust Alarm

thank you,
Zach

Fire Prevention Week

If you live in a home that has a sprinkler system, you have approximately twelve (12) minutes before the sprinkler pipes are compromised by the fire.

Smoking-Related Fires in Residential Buildings

Have a charged fire extinguisher ready at all times in your home. 

USFA Releases Smoking-Related Fires in Residential Buildings Report

Contact USFA Press Office:
(301) 447-1853

July 9, 2012
EMMITSBURG, MD – The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) issued a special report today examining the characteristics of smoking-related fires in residential buildings. The report, Smoking-Related Fires in Residential Buildings (2008-2010) (PDF, 330 Kb), was developed by USFA’s National Fire Data Center. The report is part of the Topical Fire Report Series and is based on 2008 to 2010 data from the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS).
According to the report, an estimated 7,600 smoking-related fires in residential buildings occur annually in the United States, resulting in an estimated average of 365 deaths, 925 injuries, and $326 million in property loss. While smoking-related fires account for only 2 percent of all residential building fires, they are a leading cause of fire deaths, accounting for 14 percent of fire deaths in residential buildings. In addition, cigarettes are, by far, the leading type of smoking material involved in residential smoking fires and account for 86 percent of these fires. Finally, residential building smoking-related fires occur most often in the afternoon and evening hours, peaking from 2 to 3 p.m. Forty-two percent of smoking-related fires in residential buildings occur from noon to 8 p.m., however, the smoking-related fires that occur in the late evening and early morning tend to be the most deadly.
The complete Smoking-Related Fires in Residential Buildings (2008-2010) topical report is available at: www.usfa.fema.gov/statistics/.
Topical reports are designed to explore the U.S. fire problem as depicted through data collected in NFIRS. The reports highlight important findings from the data and may suggest other resources to consider for further information.
For information regarding other topical reports or any programs and training available at USFA, visit www.usfa.fema.gov.

Take Your Safety Seriously: Hire FIRST TRUST ALARM!

There are many companies that provide security. Which one to choose is the question. How do you select your fire alarm company? I'm not you, but I would choose the one that treated me like I meant something to them. Larger companies rotate their staff to often. Who wants to have a new guy come into your property every few years or even months? No. I want the company that started family oriented and remains family oriented. A business that believes each person living deserves to be safe. The fire and police are the providers of true safety in our community. I would choose the alarm company that knows them fire and police personally. First Trust Alarm is treating human safety seriously. Give them a call and ask about how they can improve your safety no matter where you go. First Trust Alarm specializes in multi-dwelling communities. Through a special relationship with your property managers, this alarm company offers HOA promotion codes on their First Trust Alarm Customer Store. Does your alarm call the fire department? Help them firemen by having an evacuation plan. Go to the FTA CUSTOMER STORE and get your third or second floor escape ladder. The use the handy code given to FTA clients HOA or property managers.