LACFD: 2 Dead 81 & 63 yr. old women, due to Carbon Monoxide.

Tragic deaths: 81 & 63 yr. old women, due to Carbon Monoxide. Willowbrook. Even when cold, never heat home with Gas Oven.

Two women tragically lost their lives in Willowbrook when they apparently used their kitchen oven to provide heat inside their home. They were found Saturday at about 4:30PM. Preliminarily, Carbon monoxide fumes from the oven are believed to have resulted in their deaths.

At 4:30 PM, 01/01/10, deputies from Century Sheriff's Station responded to a rescue call in the 2200 block of El Segundo Boulevard, Willowbrook.

When they arrived, they were met by a family member who told them that after not receiving a response to phone calls, she drove there in order to check on the 63-year old woman and her 81 year-old mother. The family member said she went inside the residence and immediately smelled a strong odor of gas. She found the oven to be turned on and closed the oven door before quickly exiting the residence. She then called Century Sheriff's Station of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department for emergency help.

Hearing the family member's concerns and observations, deputies quickly entered the residence and found the two victims apparently deceased.

Los Angeles County Fire Department firefighters also responded and detected extremely high levels of carbon monoxide within the residence. Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide investigators responded to the residence to conduct their investigation. Century Sheriff's Station on-call clergy personnel were also summoned to the scene and assisted deputies with grieving family members.

Preliminarily, it appears as though the victims had opened the oven door and turned the oven on in order to heat their residence.

What is Carbon Monoxide: Co2 is clear, odorless and colorless. The Los Angeles County Fire Department and experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advise against ever using a gas range, gas stove, kerosene/ propane space heater, or charcoal grill to heat your home or apartment. Carbon Monoxide is produced by the incomplete combustion of the fossil fuels - gas, oil, coal and wood used in boilers, engines, oil burners, gas fires, water heaters, solid fuel appliances and open fires.

Carbon Monoxide Safety: Follow these safety tips from Los Angeles County Fire Department to prevent injuries and deaths related to heating your home.

• Install Smoke alarm near bedrooms and on each floor of your home.
• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends carbon monoxide alarm system to be included near bedrooms and on each floor of your home.
• Make sure heating equipment is installed properly. Have a trained specialist or your local Gas Company inspector inspect and tune up your heating system each year.
• Keep portable space heaters at least 3 feet from anything that can burn, including bedding, furniture, and clothing.
• Always use a space heater that is equipped with an automatic shut-off when tipped over.
• Keep children and pets away from space heaters.
• Have your fireplace chimney and flue inspected each year and cleaned if needed.
• Never use your range or oven to heat your home, even for a short time.

More Carbon Monoxide Information:
  VIDEO and Written Explanation from the Los Angeles County Fire Department - http://www.fire.lacounty.gov/safetypreparedness/SafetyPrep_CarbonMonoxide.asp#
Keeping Your Home Safe & Warm: VIDEO and Written Explanation from the Los Angeles County Fire Department http://www.fire.lacounty.gov/safetypreparedness/SafetyPrep_homeheating.asp
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning - Fact Sheet Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
http://www.cdc.gov/co/faqs.htm

CA DMV News: New 2011 Laws affect #Firefighters, #Motorcycles, #DUI

California DMV Announces New 2011 Laws

 New #DMV Laws effective in January:

• New Firefighter Endorsement (AB 1648/Jeffries) In an effort to simplify the proper licensing of firefighters while continuing to ensure public safety, this law exempts operators of firefighting vehicles from the Commercial Driver License program and creates a new license endorsement process.
• Motorcycle Safety Course Required for Under-21 instruction permit applicants
• A required motorcycle safety course for under-21 motorcycle permit applicants, new oversight of online traffic violator schools, and extensions of HOV lane stickers are among several new laws of interest to California motorists that will take effect Jan. 2, 2011, the Department of Motor Vehicles announced today.
• Following are capsule summaries of the new laws:
• Motorcycle Instruction Permit (AB 1952/Niello) This new law requires a person under 21 years of age to complete an approved motorcycle safety course before being issued an instruction permit with which to practice operating a motorcycle, and requires the permit to be held for six months before being issued a class M motorcycle driver license. There are currently more than 6,000 drivers 19 years and younger who are licensed to ride a motorcycle in California.
• Traffic Violator School Program (AB 2499/Portantino) Prior to this new law which starts January 1, the DMV only licensed and regulated "brick and mortar" classroom traffic violator schools. This new law will bring court-approved courses, such as online and home study traffic schools into the DMV Traffic Violator School licensing program and implements a number of recommendations included in a DMV study of traffic violator school issues. This law will have a 3-year implementation process.
• High-Occupancy Vehicle Lanes (SB 535/Yee) Prior law that permitted certain fuel-efficient, low-emission vehicles to display stickers allowing them to be operated in HOV lanes with a single occupant was to expire on January 1, 2011. The new law extends the "sunset" date for the yellow stickers for hybrid vehicles until July 1, 2011; the white stickers issued to fully-electric and compressed natural gas vehicles until January 1, 2015; and creates a third sticker, for plug-in hybrid vehicles, to be issued and valid from January 1, 2012 until January 1, 2015.

New Laws Starting on July 1 and Beyond

• Organ Donation (SB 1395/Alquist) Starting July 1, the language on the DMV's application for a driver license will include a "no" option relative to an applicant's willingness to register as a prospective organ donor to increase the number of enrollees in the organ donor program. This change will now require the organ donor registration field of the application to be answered with either a yes or no response.
• Local Traffic Ordinances (SB 949/Oropeza) On July 1, in an effort of ensuring that traffic convictions are recorded by the Department of Motor Vehicles, local authorities may not enact or enforce a local ordinance on any matter covered by the California Vehicle Code.
• Driving Under the Influence (AB 1601/Hill) Effective in January 1, 2012, this bill authorizes a court to order a 10-year revocation of the driver license of a person convicted of a third or subsequent DUI violation, with possible reinstatement after five years if specified conditions are met

Don’t Stand In Line, Go Online! Doing business with the DMV has never been easier. The DMV offers an array of services to customers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through its Web site (www.dmv.ca.gov), including online appointments for written and drive tests; vehicle registration and driver license renewals, selection of personalized license plates, changes of address and payment of fees via secure debit transactions. Customers can also effect transactions by calling DMV customer service at (800) 777-0133.

Santa Cruz: Missing at Midnight - 15-year-old Los Banos girl #Found

Update: #Joy Santa Cruz Police located missing Priscilla Maldonado around 12:30

Her dog has not yet been located, last seen in the beach area at 5 am: The dog is a white and grey Terrier wearing a red sweater and weighs about 20 lbs.

A 15-year-old Los Banos girl is missing after attending a New Year's Eve celebration at the Clocktower in Santa Cruz on Friday night, Santa Cruz Police reported Saturday.

Priscilla Maldonado

Updates: SCPD Nixle: https://local.nixle.com/alert/4484222/?sub_id=253435

#Joy around 12:30- Santa Cruz Police located missing Priscilla Maldonado, Her dog has not yet been located, last  seen in the beach area at 5 am: The dog is a white and grey Terrier  wearing a red sweater and weighs about 20 lbs.1145- Still missing
0600- Officers spotted the dog without Priscilla in the beach area around 5 a.m. Saturday. The dog is a white and grey terrier wearing a red sweater. The dog weighs about 20 pounds.

Who: Priscilla Maldonado, Priscilla is 5 feet tall and weighs about 100 pounds. She was last seen wearing a black sweatshirt, a silver shirt and black jeans. She does not have a history of running away.

Where: was with her family Friday night at the Clocktower in downtown Santa Cruz. When the fireworks started at midnight, the family's dog took off running down Water Street toward the courthouse. Priscilla chased after the dog.
Priscilla has not been seen or heard from since about midnight. She is not familiar with the Santa Cruz.

What: "We have a team of investigators in searching the parks, levies, beaches," said Capt. Steve Clark on Saturday morning.
Her parents did not return home, Clark said, and they are still in Santa Cruz.
"They're with one of the investigators over at Kinko's making fliers to distribute," he said.

Priscilla Maldonado Missing Poster

The fliers are being distributed on major thoroughfares he said including Mission, Ocean and Water streets. He also said officers were checking all businesses that operate 24 hours where she may have sought shelter from the rain.

If anyone has seen Priscilla, the Santa Cruz Police ask residents to call 9-1-1.