Newest articles and comments on The Sacramento Press written by Kate Traci

A Local Marine Remembered

2011-07-01T05:10:16Z

Cpl. Gurpreet Singh, 21, of Antelope, Calif., died June 22 from wounds received while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, Calif.

A recipient of numerous medals and ribbons, among them the Purple Heart, this local boy will be honored in services at Mount Vernon Memorial Park & Mortuary. [map and directions]

Memorial Services

Saturday, 2 July 2011, 1100 Hours

Mount Vernon Memorial Park & Mortuary

8201 Greenback Ln,

Fair Oaks, CA 95628

916-969-1251

Fellow Marines are asking to spread the word so local Marines and others who wish to pay respects can be with him on his final ride home.

Cpl. Singh

Team SacPD: Countdown to Race Start

2011-06-15T21:26:21Z

How do you ride a bicycle 3,000 miles?

“Little pieces at a time,” says Sacramento Police Lt. Mark Greenlee. Greenlee is one of eight riders in Team Sac PD that will be cycling across the continental United States in the Race Across America event (RAAM).

Today and tomorrow, twelve crew members and their riders will be making their way to the starting line in Oceanside, California. Friday will be a frenzy of inspections, meetings, team photos and hopefully some time to check out the first 40 or 50 miles of the course.

Saturday the race is on. Those interested can track Team Sac PD’s progress through a progressive photo album updated throughout the race.

What do you pack when you are only allowed to bring one small gym bag?

“Underwear” is the most common first answer.

“Redundancy,” Greenlee quickly states.

Greenlee realizes that the success of the team, and his personal ride, might very well depend on the fact that he has a spare bike clip or other small necessary part. Some parts, so easily found when biking around Sacramento, are not so available in the hills, mountains, flatlands and other scenic byways, places through which the team will pass during the race - often at three in the morning.

The Sac PD team is ready, anxious to hit the pavement and see what happens. They know problems will arise and are committed to remaining flexible and focused on what matters.

On a final ride together this past Sunday, some team members decided to Ride for Matt. On February 5, Matthew Wietrick was struck by a vehicle while cycling in Sacramento. He was severely injured and was not expected to recover. Family and friends volunteered and created a charity event to support him in his successful recovery. A few Team Sac PD members rode 70 miles in his honor.

That Sunday, Wietrick got to meet and thank the very same officers who happened to be on duty that fateful February day. The world is big; 3,000 miles sounds impossibly long, and yet it is so very small.

Team Sac PD rides for those who cannot, for those who will again someday and for their fellow officers who never will again. Funds donated during Race Across America will go to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.

“In Valor There Is Hope” - “Heroes Live Forever”

2011-06-03T17:56:31Z

“What group is out there that is basically murdered? There’s very few professions where people are murdered for their profession. Police work’s it,” said Sacramento Police Chief Rick Braziel, one of the eight members comprising the Sacramento Police Department’s Race Across America team.

“We divide out those who want to hurt people from those who do not want to be harmed,” Braziel said. The team is hoping to bring national awareness to the 19,000 officers who have died in the line of duty and to the fact more will in the future.

Already it seems their pledges have gone beyond expectations. The police department website has received a donation from an unknown supporter in Ireland, Braziel noted.

Inspired by 12-year-old Team Donate Life member and rare liver disease patient Connor Ellison, the youngest cyclist ever to complete this race, officer Mark Greenlee wanted to put a team together to race and raise awareness for their own special cause.

The team has modest goals: to “not be last,” to not get seriously hurt and to not seriously hurt each other. This speaks to group and team dynamics, as Greenlee, the “idea man,” and Mitchell the “chief,” try to figure who would be paired best together.

The crew and the team seem to be the perfect mix: the “guru,” the “bike geek,” the masseuse, the climbers, the downhill speeders, those who “can handle the pain,” a BMX racer and team jersey designer, marathoners, cyclists, ironman athletes, wives, heroes and friends.

They will race in four teams of two: one rider, 15 minutes, 100 percent effort, then switch. These transitions are tricky, confusing and at times harried.“This is tough, the transition here,” officer Todd Carr said. “If he’s flying down that hill, he’s not going to see us in time coming around the corner to stop.”

The van crew of two must carefully navigate the course, watch their rider for signs of trouble — fatigue, stress or injury — and drive ahead to pick a spot not too far, not too steep, not too narrow, not too dangerous, and then flag down their rider telling him it is time to stop, all while following the basic rules of the road. The judgment calls seem endless. And that is during the day.

“I’d rather do 100 miles (on a bike) than 26 running,” said crew member Christina Nutley, whose husband Dan Nutley is also [she is not riding] riding. She is an accomplished cyclist, with multiple century rides under her belt.

When rider No. 2 takes off, No. 1 can rest, however brief. The crew must wait one full minute before departing the transition site, allowing time to hydrate, fuel and discuss tactics. It’s one of many rules that fill a 2-inch three-ring binder, that the crew must know and follow.

“We are used to rules. That’s our world,” logistics coordinator Bob Mitchell said.

All the rules are based on safety. Penalties are given to those teams who are caught, and six infractions are allowed during the race. These rules are a constant concern for the crew, who must watch for any misstep that tired riders and crew might inadvertently make.

Ride and rest, ride and rest. One hour on, one hour off for eight to 10 hours a day. Then sleep, eat, do laundry. Hopefully there is time. One might say the riders have it easy, but when you hear things like “backside of the Rockies” and “the Appalachians are the ones that are gonna kill you,” you start to change your mind.

“I’ve never climbed over the Rockies, but I would imagine it would take several hours on a bike,” Dan Nutley said, realizing that soon he will be able to say that he has.

I had the chance to ride with the crew during a Sunday team workout. During our 40 miles around Lotus Loop, the camaraderie was evident. Many of the riders never had a chance to get to know each other before starting this training, separated by shifts and seniority. Crew members — friends, family and fellow staff — were excited to be a part of this monumental effort and patient with working out the kinks.

I left the team wishing I could be a part of their journey, wishing them good fortune in their adventure. I am very proud to see what a great group of men and women we have representing this city.

“Heroes Live Forever”: The saying is wrapped around each rider’s wrist on a blue bracelet.

They will end in Annapolis, Md., six or maybe seven days after starting out. Tired, hungry and sore, they will cycle 30 more miles to stand at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial and pay their respects. In full uniform they will honor those who have paid the ultimate price, and at the same time acknowledge their own personal price each team member has paid to arrive at this place safely.

What ideas have driven them, what thoughts have sustained them during the week-long grueling test, we won’t know. “In Valor There Is Hope” and the names of the fallen officers printed on their jerseys, one could bet, will help.

God speed and good luck, Team Sac PD.

RAAM race starts Saturday, June 18 in Oceanside, Calif. Stay tuned for updates and photos along the way.

Kati Garner will be traveling with the team racing across America at 15 mph.Front row: Christina Nutley, Jim Beezley, Bob Mitchell;

Second row: Kate Carr, Lane Polete, Sharon Iida, Randy Hood, Mark Greenlee;

Third row: Todd Carr, Kim Stenson, Carol Willis;

Back row: Paul Curtis, Rick Braziel, Dan Nutley, Matt McPhail; Not shown: Kati Garner, Elmer Marzan, Skyler Baldock, Neil Schneider and Heather Hendrickson.

One Night Only... My Sister's House 10th Anniversary Gala

2011-05-25T15:57:36Z

Mayor Kevin Johnson didn’t show, but Elvis did. Actually dueling Elvises, singing- or lip syncing - their hearts out to raise money and awareness for My Sister’s House, a one of a kind organization supporting survivors of domestic violence here in the central valley.

The 10th anniversary gala held at the Crest Theatre featured “talent you have never seen in Sacramento and some you never want to see again,” joked West Sacramento Mayor Cabaldon, the impressively funny Master of Ceremonies for the evening.

The line up of talent opened with “Beyonce,” aka Ruthie Bolton, WBNA star for the Monarchs, striking a pose in a white feather-trimmed jacket. The Mayor himself showed us his chops belting out song lyrics written for this evening’s event to the tune of “Luck be a Lady Tonight”.

“One night for 5001 nights of shelter” was the slogan for the evening’s event. Record attendance made this more than possible. Executive Director Nilda Valmores emotionally reported that more than 600 people attended the gala that evening, a big success compared to the usual 400 in years past.

The audience danced in their seats along with Little Eva lip syncing “Do the Locomotion”. People clapped in rhythm when Eagle Eye Cherry appeared on stage with guitar in hand MTV Unplugged style. Mayor Kevin Johnson’s Chief of Staff, Kunal Merchant, gave a fantastic rendition of “Save Tonight” showing his real talent with voice and guitar. Teo Torres of KCRA fame and his back up crew “Three Dog Night” belted out Joy to the World. Bing Crosby & Danny Kaye, dressed up in cocktail dresses singing “Sisters,” brought many laughs to their happy fans.

After Mr. Crosby and Mr. Kaye delicately danced off stage in heels, the event got down to business and we met Bonnie. Or rather - Bonnie met the many people who made the shelter and her success at My Sister’s House a reality.

Hers was a heart wrenching story of a Hmong girl, married young, who faced the terrible decision of leaving her family and her community to keep herself and her four children safe.

Safe Haven the six bed shelter run by My Sister’s House, opened in 2003 and has since provided 12,262 nights of shelter to Asian and Pacific Islander women and children, though they make it clear that women of all backgrounds are welcome. They are unique in their ability to support this immigrant population with a 24-hour multilingual help line, culturally appropriate assistance and community services specific to the issues they face.

Later the performances continued to delight. A young “Michael Jackson” entertained with an enthusiastic “Rockin’ Robin,” Eliza Doolittle impressed with a brilliant performance “I Could Have Danced All Night.” The enthusiasm was evident and infectious.

Moira Sharma, Board President, thanked the audience, “$80,000 raised at this one night event.“

This was a record sum, thanks in large part to Sharon Gerber owner of Six Degreez event planning here in Sacramento.

“I get local celebs to do silly things on stage for good causes.” Stated a glowing but frazzled Ms. Gerber. Clearly this night, a “Sacramento American Idol,” was a great success for all.

The Cast:

Team SacPD and the Race Across America

2011-05-19T04:09:03Z

Team SacPD Race Across America cyclists from left to right:

Officer Matt McPhail, Officer Skyler Baldock, Officer Paul Curtis, Lieutenant Neil Schneider, Lieutenant Jim Beezley, Sergeant Dan Nutley, Lieutenant Mark Greenlee and Sergeant Don Davis. Not Pictured: Chief Rick Braziel

It is approaching 2 p.m., race start. Thousands of people are milling about the Oceanside Pier in Southern California, and you are one of them. Nervous, you look out past the crowd, about a mile up the road.

One mile of the 3,000 that lie ahead.

You are proud because you know this is for the ultimate cause: honor. You are strong, assured by months of hours long training through rain, bitter cold, and pain. You are ready.

Having traded badge and gun for helmet and bicycle, you are part of the first ever law enforcement team taking on the challenge of Race Across America.

A nine-day non-stop grueling bicycle race across 12 states. This historical first is because eight local Sacramento Police Officers decided it was time to bring attention to the national sacrifice 900,000 brother and sister officers make each year when they stand on the thin blue line.

The team is raising funds for The National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington, D.C., a graceful 304-foot curving wall of blue-gray marble etched with names--the names of each officer who has fallen on duty dating back to the first known death in 1791. Visitors can pay tribute on three tranquil and tree-lined acres in Judiciary Square. Each spring during National Police week, new names are added.

Our Sacramento Police Department hopes to bring much attention to their cause by relay bicycling across the United States. Destination: Annapolis, MD., City Dock.

The race route

“Why not start big!” says one young team member, enthusiastic for the adventure ahead. Why not, indeed.

Some numbers:
19,000 officers have been killed on the job.
53 hours. On average every 53 hours another officer falls.
375 miles per day, or more.
170,000 vertical feet to climb.

They have 216 hours to race across America. By the time our team finishes, four more names will be waiting to be added to this wall. Please honor these men and women who give the ultimate sacrifice and the team who pays tribute to them all, for us.

Donate here: http://www.sacpd.org/teamsacpd/raam/donate.html

Watch SacPress for more information as Race Across America grows near!

My Mission

2011-04-03T18:08:00Z

HOT NEWS! Sacramento please help me in my mission- eat dinner at Chevys on April 6th or 7th. Print this flier and bring it with you (or be sure to mention it) and Chevys will donate a portion of your dinner receipt to my cause. Curing blood cancers, raising money for cancer research. I'm honoring my mom- who can you honor by doing this?

For more information please go here: http://pages.teamintraining.org/sac/anchor11/katesrace (scroll down to read more of my story and journey)

Many thanks in advance to those who help. We couldn't do it without you.

Start With a Little Art

2011-02-03T09:15:30Z

Crocker Museum glows. I enter on Friday night to preview Gottfried Helnwein’s exhibit: The Inferno of the Innocents. The name alone is hard to resist and a creepy photo of Marilyn Mason on the flyer seals the deal.

I grab a glass of wine first at the bar and mingle with scarf wearing patrons. Some are dressed up in gala attire, others for a casual viewing of pictures tonight. I almost chuckle at the white scarf suited for the opera tossed dramatically around a neck with hat to match and then I realize I too am wearing a scarf. I quickly decide it is a hip fashion statement to the arts. I mosey to the non wine friendly 2nd and 3rd floors toward the exhibit.

A ten year old’s face greets you on the stairs. Every hair on her head and downy fuzz on the cheeks is visible. I am astounded thinking that it is painted. Discovering Helnwein paints using ‘mixed media’ I wonder until a new friend Tom who, admiring the same, realizes it describes the technique of paint placed in many layers on top of a photo.

At the doorway to the exhibit we are greeted by a sign, “Content may be challenging for some viewers.” True enough. Helnwein’s theme of the child and “Disasters of War” series depicts children in different poses often in military dress and bloody rags as adornment. We learn growing up in the aftermath of World War II gave Helnwein much of his inspiration for this body of work.

“I’m above all fascinated by innocence- this expression of other worldliness which only a few children have, which adults have completely lost.” –Gottfried Helnwein

His painting “The Meeting” is otherworldly. It reminds me of Congress looking into another world, down into the light of the fires of Hell. There is blood and vicious icebergs in “The Silent Glow of the Avant Garde” A righteous man stares, yet his eye are bandaged. Add Marilyn Manson with painted face and metal teeth- perfect for the bedroom- I think and laugh- someone’s bedroom possibly.

What does this all mean? I wonder. The wine heightens the courage, a few groups of strangers find themselves asking the same. Turning to each other to offer insights, knowledge, questions. Opinions are well received here.

The Gottfried Helnwein exhibit will be on display until April 24th. An opportunity for a unique night out.

My idea: Grab a date and tickets to the Crocker. First mingle with the crowd on the ground floor. Eat at the café rated one of the ten best places for lunch in Sacramento, according to my new friend Tom. Head upstairs for a little culture. If Helnwein gets a little heavy check out the new exhibit of exquisite ink on paper drawings. Considered oldest in the West. Add a little light and color with Paul Jenkins, both nearby. Join a discussion about one of the works and impress your date with a couple facts- learned earlier on the Internet of course. But points for you, have to start somewhere. Then out into the cool night air. Chilly? Perfect! It is Always a cool move to give your date your coat. Trust me. Walking off the meal and chatting side by side is an easy way to keep conversation going. Walk a handful of blocks to the new hot spots on K St mall. Grab a drink at Dive Bar or District 30. Show a girl you have culture and an edge. You can enjoy fine things yet toss back a beer and relax.

Or do all of the above alone. A nice chance to take a breather from the annoyances of the work week. Learn the art of how to sit at a table in the café alone, a cup of wine or coffee, a notebook. In a museum it will look appropriate, smart and interesting. Stare off into space and think grand thoughts about the art you saw. No one will know if you play angry birds in the meantime. Someone is bound to ask, as did to me, with polite curiosity, “what are you jotting down in that book?” Perfect to start a conversation that can continue over a walk and a beer at another local joint.

Thursdays Crocker is open late: until 9pm. Tickets will set you back $20 for two. Nice way to start the weekend. Trust me.

http://crockerartmuseum.org/

A night in the life of a 911 dispatcher

2009-10-31T05:38:22Z

Kate Traci
10/09

The screams came through my headset as I punched on the line.

I winced as my eardrum was pummeled by the pandemonium on the other end of the line. I had to get busy. No time to reach over to my radio console and turn down the headset volume.

I needed both hands typing fast.

The room was quiet. Call volume is low at 3:30 in the morning. Most in the greater Sacramento area are snug in their beds. My coworkers could hear the echos of the yells as they reverberated out of my ear piece.

"Fire dispatch, what is the address of the emergency?" I answered the phone with our standardized question and my voice steadily rose as I tried to be heard over the caller. I could feel my blood pressure rise and my heart start to beat faster, the elevated emotion of the caller transmitting itself to me. For a ten year veteran dispatcher it was a rare reaction.

The Sacramento Regional Fire/EMS Communications Center covers approximately 800 square miles, eight different fire districts and handles approximately 170,000 calls each year with a total staff of 21 dispatchers.

Though approved for 30, the staffing level rarely seems to fluctuate as the steady influx of trainees equals the constant turnover, training itself causing the most to leave. It is a lengthy process, taking at least one year for a new recruit to become fully trained or signed off. If successful at that point they will function unsupervised as a full-fledged dispatcher proficient on phones and radio duties.

"This is the fire department, what is the emergency?" My tone grew stern, repeating myself a few times to gain the attention of the caller so I could start help. Protocol requires us to do all we can to verify the address before we dispatch units so the first few seconds of a call are the most crucial.

Not getting any information out of the hysterical caller I switch tactics. I was given the caller's name by the transferring agency and I used that repeatedly to calm her down.

"Shawna, talk to me," I said. "I want to help you. Where do we need to go?" Finally I got through.

Fire Department dispatchers work 12-hour shifts. They arrive approximately 10-15 minutes prior to the start of shift at 6:45 a.m. or 6:45 p.m.

After receiving a pass on all relevant information of the daily or nightly events one dispatcher plugs in and the other heads home. Day shift gets the brunt of the calls. More people are up and awake getting hurt or getting sick. The onslaught of call after call can be brutal.

Though I had the seniority to stay on day shift, I had escaped to graveyard a few years ago to gain a measure of peace. But it comes with a grueling cost of having to stay up and alert throughout the night. I admit being alert was a goal not often achieved.

No longer tired, I finally ascertain from Shawna what had occurred. Her friend had accidentally set himself on fire trying to fill his butane lighter. He was badly burned. I talked her through instructions on what to do for him until the help arrived.

It was not much unfortunately, but I had to believe it helped. They got him into the shower, the only place to easily cool that much burned skin.

"Shawna, Shawna, focus!" I yelled. "Listen to me. The help is on the way! Do you understand? Now let's help him in the meantime." I cajole and persuade her. Every time she looked at her burned friend she lost her composure again.

In dispatch terms this is called a re-freak event. We are taught to recognize when this might happen. We are hopeful to control the caller and avoid this, but if not we will bring them back to earth when it does.

Statistically only 4 percent of all callers are technically considered hysterical. † At times it seems much more. 911 callers run the gamut from eerily calm, understandably nervous, belligerently angry and finally hysterical. Most often the dispatcher has the power to reinforce or change that caller’s emotion in either the positive or negative direction.

Some 911 centers require their dispatchers to become EMD certified, a 36-hour course in emergency medical dispatching certifies the student to give bystander CPR and choking instructions, deliver babies, advice on seizures, bleeding, problems breathing and other injuries. The communications center in Sacramento is one such center and dispatchers are required to keep this certification current with annual CPR instruction and continuing education training. The rest is often left to common sense.

As dispatchers, we only deal with people during what is most likely the worst time of their lives. In that short two to five minutes we can impact their lives greatly. Yet to us it is just one of many calls we will take throughout our shift. We often do not hear any outcome to these emergencies. Once the fire department arrives and often long before we have disconnected that phone call and moved on to another one of our duties. Rarely do we seek out any follow up information, but occasionally we do.

I stayed on the phone with Shawna until the ambulance arrived on scene. They wasted no time. Five minutes later - what we call a load and go - they were back on the road, code three or lights and sirens headed to UC Davis hospital.

The paramedics told us later the patient, a male in his 30s, was attempting to fill his lighter so he could get high. Three small children were awake watching TV in the room.

The fire department helps everyone.

† Principles of Emergency Medical Dispatch 4th Edition. pg 1.12
by Clauson, Dernocoer,Rose c2008 v12.0

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and are not endorsed by and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion or policy of the Sacramento Regional Fire/EMS Communications Center.