City Information Web site: www.cityofws.org
adverti*eo)ent
July 2007
Burn prevention begins at home
Kids in Winston-Salem suffer a disproportionate number of severe
bum injuries, and yet, in almost all cases, their suffering could have
been averted with a few simple safety precautions.
That's why the Winston-Salem Fire Department has started, with
the assistance of a federal grant a campaign aimed at preventing
burns to children, particularly those ages 5 to 7.
The campaign began July 2 with the airing of 30-second public
service announcements with burn-prevention tips that will run through
the end of the year on Time Warner Cable in Forsyth County.
Other components of the campaign include customized fire
prevention materials directed at 5- to 7-year-olds that will be placed in
school "take-home" packets, and new fire prevention materials that
will be incorporated into burn-prevention programs for schools and
children's groups. ?
The campaign addresses the findings of a risk assessment the
department conducted last year which found that Winston-Salem's
average of 19 injuries per 1,000 fires is double the state average. In
fiscal year 2005-2006. 49 children between the ages of 5 and 13
suffered burn injuries. However, children age 5 to 7 accounted for 64
percent of the severe burns requiring hospitalization, in almost all
cases, the injuries to children did not result from large house fires and
could have been prevented if the children, or their parents' behavior,
had been modified.
Two public service announcements have been prepared. A PSA for
parents is running on CNN, News Channel 14, and The Weather
Channel. A PSA for children is running on Animal Planet, Nickelodeon,
and The Cartoon Network. Both PSAs emphasize practical tips to keep
kids safe around stoves, matches and lighters, and electric outlets.
The burn-prevention campaign is being financed with an $18,678
Fire Prevention and Safety Gram from the Federal Emergency
Management Agency, with the city of Winston-Salem providing a
matching amount of $4,670.
The burn-prevention
public service
announcement for
children will run on
Nickelodeon Animal
Planet and the
Cartoon Network
Been fishiri
Tim McGowan and his son Dylan trailer their boat
after a morning at Salem Lake Starting July 12. the
lake will be open seven days a week.
Go back to school this fall
The city is offering two opportunities to go back to school this fall. If you're interested in attending
either the Citizen's Police Academy or City of Winston-Salem University, nov^s the time to apply.
City of Winston-Salem University gives citizens a better understanding of
city government, including the responsibilities of various city departments and
the city's role in the community. Classes will be held over 11 weeks starting Sept.
6. Classes will meet every Thursday from 6 - 9 p.m. Topics will Include city
governance and finance, sanitation, utilities operations, streets and
transportation, public safety, planning and economic development, housing and
recreation, public facilities, and internal city operations.
Participation is limited to 25 residents from Winston-Salem and Forsyth
County who will be selected through an application process. Applications are
-2317 and njust be returned by August 10. Applications are also available online
available by calling 727
at www.cltvofws.ore.
The Police Department is accepting applications for the fall session of the
Citizens' Police Academy, which will start Aug. 28.
The Citizens' Pplice Academy is designed to increase community awareness
of the law enforcement profession and the role of the Police Department by
informing citizens of the administrative philosophy, internal policies and
guidelines, and principles of law and ethical conduct that govern the delivery of
police services within our community.
The Citizens' Police Academy curriculum is similar to recruit training for new
police officers, with a mix of classroom and hands-on training on such topics as
department functions, search and seizure laws, use of force, firearms training
simulator, crime prevention, domestic violence, and K-9 and special operations.
Citizens graduate with a better understanding of police officer training and decision-making, and day-to
day police operations.
The Citizens' Police Academy will meet from 6:30 - 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday evenings for 12 weeks.
Enrollment is open to any citizen 18 years of age or older who resides or works in Winston-Salem. Anyone
interested in attending the Citizens' Police Academy may call the Winston-Salem Police Department for
an application at 773-7788, or complete an application online at www.wsod.org.
The class is limited to 30 students. Applications must be submitted by Aug. 13.
City issues first
Performance Scorecard
If you dont keep score, you don't know how your team is performing. That, in
essence, is why the city has released its first-ever Performance Scorecard,
reviewing the city's delivery of core services to city residents, including public
safety, sanitation, transportation, community and economic development, and
leisure services.
In a cover letter forwarding the report to
Mayor Allen Joines and the City Council, City
Manager Lee Garrity noted that the
scorecard is the latest in a string of
initiatives that date back to the 1970s "to
help everyone understand what we are
doing, how well we are doing it if we are
accomplishing our objectives, and how
efficiently we are working."
"Most important of all," Garrity noted,
"the citizens of Winston-Salem want to
know what they are getting for their tax
and fee dollars, and measuring
performance is an excellent way to
document results."
The scorecard includes measures
for the 2005-2006 fiscal year and -
mid-year accomplishments for the ^
2006-2007 fiscal year. The city's
performance was determined through the use of
comparisons with the other large cities in North Carolina, efficiency and
effectiveness measures, and data from a telephone survey of citizens conducted
in October 2006.
For fiscal year 2005-2006, the scorecard found that the Fire Department slightly
exceeded its goal of containing 70 percent of fires to the room of origin but that it
missed by 5 seconds its goal of responding to fire calls within four minutes. The Police
Department responded to high-priority calls in less than four minutes, more than two
minutes less than the national standard of a six-minute response.
The Utilities Division met its goal of complying with 100 percent of federal and state
drinking water standards; Sanitation met its goal of missing less than one percent of
garbage collections per month; Transportation met its goal to keep average wait time at
traffic signals to less than 30 seconds; the Streets Division exceeded its goal of
repairing 80 percent of reported potholes within 24 hours; and Inspections exceeded
its goal of issuing building permits within three days but slightly missed its goal of
performing 90 percent of construction inspections within 24 hours.
Housing/Neighborhood Services slightly exceeded by four days its goal of
bringing environmental code violations into compliance within 27 days, but it did
better in dealing with abandoned vehicles, bringing them into compliance in an
average of 18 days, three fewer than the goal of 21 days. Recreation removed
97.9 percent of hazardous trees from city property within 10 days, slightly worse
than its goal of 100 percent
In the citizen telephone survey, city residents gave eight of the 10 city departments
included in the poll a grade of B-plus or B. The Fire Department received a grade of A
minus, and the Transportation Department received a grade of B-minus.
Department heads will develop strategies to improve services that did not
receive an "A," Garrity said. An action plan that summarizes these strategies will
be forwarded to the City Council for review and will be incorporated into
department work plans.
The entire 28-page performance scorecard, including complete results of the
citizen satisfaction survey, are available online at www.citvofws.org.
Keep our streams clean...
If you're in the lawn-care business, make plans to be at the
N.C. Cooperative Extension Center in Forsyth County on August
14 for the "Clean Streams" training program.
The program will teach lawn-care professionals some
practical ways to ensure that fertilizers and chemicals do not
harm water quality in urban counties. All attendees who are
licensed will receive one pesticide credit for recertification, a
Clean Streams program certificate of completion, and
recognition as a "Clean Streams-certified" business on the
city's Stormwater Division Web site.
Clean Streams is a joint initiative of the city Stormwater
Division and the
Cooperative 4llM'k
SESST ^CleanStreams
jjg held at 9am tnvtroiwitentaWy Rripontlhlr Turlqrait Profeilloniak
Aug. 14, at the Cooperative Extension Center at 1450
Fairchlld Drive In Winston-Salem. The cost is $10 and will
include lunch. For more information or to sign up, call
Wendy Hartup at 703-2850.
Help us Rock the Block
The organizers of Rock the Block, the city's annual end-of
summer downtown street extravaganza, are looking for
volunteers to help staff the event, scheduled this year for
Friday evening, Sept. 21. The festival will begin at 6 p.m. and
end at 11 p.m.
Volunteers are needed to help set up and to help tear down
before and after the
eyent. During the
festival, volunteers
are needed to staff
the children's area,
assist food vendors,
sell "Rock the Block"
merchandise, staff
information kiosks,
and assist at the
painting wall, the
mechanical bull, and
the inflatlbles . All
volunteers will
receive a free "Rock
the Block Volunteer' T-shirt
People Interested in volunteering can sign up online at
www.rocktheblockws.com. For more Information call 727-2317.
Department takes on new name and
new duties
As of this month, the Housing/Neighborhood Services
Department has changed its name to the Neighborhood
Services Department The change more accurately reflects the
department's mission and areas of responsibility, and will end
public confusion in distinguishing It from the
Housing/Neighborhood Development Department.
Neighborhood Services is responsible for enforcing the
city's minimum housing code to promote the stabilization and
revltalization of deteriorating and disadvantaged
neighborhoods. It also provides assistance in planning and
implementing neighborhood improvements through the city's
housing rehabilitation and community services programs.
In recent years, the department has taken on enforcement
authority for several other city codes and ordinances that
pertain to neighborhood quallty-of-life issues, including trash
at the curb, overgrown lots, abandoned vehicles, and animal
sanitary conditions.
Also effective July 1, the department assumed authority for
enforcing zoning ordinances pertaining to rooming houses,
vehicles in residential areas, home occupations, exceeding
vacancy requirements, and signs In the right-of-way. The
department's enforcement authority, including zoning, is
restricted to the city of Winston-Salem.
Consolidating these functions into the department allows
citizens to communicate with one department instead of
trying to determine which department has authority for the
various ordinances.
The City of Winston-Satem does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, age,
national origin, religion or disability in its employment opportunities, programs,
services or activities. (TDD number 727-8319)
C/tyPage le published through the cooperative efforts of the City of
Wlnston-Satom and The Chroatch. Question or concern about city
government aervtoee? Call Cttbene Service 727-9000.
Mayor Allen Joines City Council: Vivian H. Burke, Mayor Pro Tempore. Northeest
Ward; Dan Besse, Southwest Ward; Robert C. Clark, West Ward; Joyce lyn V. Johnson,
East Ward; Molly leight. South Ward; Nelson L. Malloy Jr.. North Ward; Wanda Merschel.
Northwest Ward; Evelyn A. Terry, Southeest Ward City Manager' Lee Garrtty