Much Appreciated Volunteers
On April 24, Sheriff Bill Wittman and the staff of the Tulare County Sheriff’s Department held a BBQ celebration at Mooney Grove to honor its volunteer groups. “These men, women, and teenagers provide an invaluable service to this department and the communities of Tulare County. We want them to know how much we appreciate what they do for us,” said Sheriff Wittman. The TCSD currently has over 544 volunteers working in the Aero Squadron, Detention Chaplains, Patrol Chaplains, Explorers, Inmate Programs, Mounted Patrol, Police Activity League, Reserves, Valley Search and Rescue, Sequoia Mountain Rescue, Posse, and Volunteers in Patrol. For more information about these volunteer programs, visit HYPERLINK “http://www.tularesheriff.info”www.tularesheriff.info. We would like to also thank all of the hard working volunteers that help make our community a little safer, so: Thanks for your dedication!

A Place to Remember
“We come together today to pay our respects to the Tulare County law enforcement officers, and all the law enforcement officers who have been lost in the line of duty. There is not a day that goes by that we don’t remember those officers who paid the ultimate sacrifice. We admire them and are grateful for their service and the service of all who wear the badge. God bless them and the families and friends they left behind.”
— Program from the Tulare County Peace Officer Memorial
Family members, friends, and coworkers gathered on May 6 at the Tulare County Peace Officers Memorial for a ceremony to honor and remember fallen officers of the county. The ceremony started with an opening statement from Undersheriff Dahl A. Cleek, followed by the presentation of floral wreath by the sons of fallen sheriff’s officers Detective Joe Landin and Detective Monty Conley, whose End of Watch was August 5, 1985. Soon after, the TCSD Aero Squadron did a flyover to pay their respects. Bagpipes began to play, thanks to Retired Officer Kevin Bain with the California Department of Fish and Game, while the Honor Guard raised the flag to half-staff. Sheriff Bill Wittman helped welcome all the friends and family that came to the ceremony, as well as Board of Supervisor’s Chairman Phil Cox. Then the End of Watch roll call was read aloud by Captain Jim Hinesly. While the names were read, beautiful doves were released as a symbol of their lives of dedication. They are gone but not forgotten and their memory will live on, due to the monument that reminds us all of their love and dedication. For a list of Tulare County’s fallen officers, visit http://www.co.tulare.ca.us/government/sheriff/peace_officer_memorial/honorees.asp

New Tower Now Open at Kaweah Delta

Many gathered on May 1st to be a part of the grand opening of Kaweah Delta Medical Center’s new Acequia wing on the north side of the hospital. The crowds enjoyed refreshments, tours, and music by the Redwood High School Jazz Band, and heard U.S. Rep Devin Nunes, R-Visalia; California Assemblywomen Connie Conway; Tulare County Supervisor Phil Cox; and Visalia Vice Mayor Bob Link speak. The wing expands three critical hospital services: The Emergency Department, with six new trauma bays, advanced technology, four critical care beds, and eight new treatment rooms, bringing the total to forty treatment areas. Also there is a new emergency covered vehicle entrance that will protect the EMD/Paramedic crews and patients from the elements while providing better access to the ED. There is a new maternity unit called the Rose Ruiz Mother-Baby Unit, which offers thirty-eight rooms and forty-two beds that opened on May 27th. And later this year the hospital will have a new cardiac unit with the latest technology, along with a new intensive care unit and a medical telemetry unit. The cardiovascular intensive-care unit, telemetry unit, sterile processing and pre- and post-op procedure services will open on July 31. Then on August 21st the cardiac operating rooms and catheter labs will open followed by the Endovascular surgery suite in October 19th. Altogether the new wing will add 135 beds, with eighty-three beds added this year to the hospital. This new wing is a great addition to an already vital institution in our community and will provide excellent service and help to all who come in.

Visalia’s New Fire Station

Fire Station 55, at Shirk Avenue and Ferguson Street in northwest Visalia, opened its doors at an open house on May 9. Neighbors got tours of the 7,800 square-foot station, as well as the state-of-the-art 6,832 square-foot training facility behind the station. This concrete and cinderblock training facility will provide a place to simulate smoke, fire, and other hazards. The features of the building include: propane device capable of shooting fire along the ceiling to simulate a flashover fire, a mock stove and metal bed ready to be set ablaze, rooms built to be filled with smoke so firefighters can practice navigating through furniture and other obstacles that may stand in their way, and a room with an off kilter door and window structure that simulates a fragile building following an earthquake. Outside of the building they have a Dumpster that can be set on fire, and poles that will eventually be strung with what looks like electrical lines to help the firefighters practice dealing with downed power lines and to work the ladder trucks around these obstacles. It is also equipped with a classroom for up to forty people to train their brains. There are nine firefighters assigned there who have already been moved in. This new station is expected to cut response time in that area from eight minutes down to six.