Get ready to play ball! The Department of Human Resources’ Employee Wellness Program will host a softball tournament at Sweetwater Sports Complex on Dec. 1-2. Get a team together and sign up now. Registration information and rules
On Sunday, you get one extra hour of sleep or extra time to check your smoke detector batteries. In order to redeem this hour, you’ll need to remember to set your clocks back an hour Saturday night as Daylight Saving Time comes to an end at 2 a.m. Sunday.
Test all your home’s smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors to make sure they are working. Safety experts suggest checking the battery in your smoke detector on a monthly basis and replacing the battery annually. If you replaced the batteries in the spring, you can wait until March.
Greg Schreiner, fire marshal for County Fire, said the extra steps can take as little as 10 minutes and it’s important because you’re staking your lives on those devices if a fire breaks out in the middle of the night.
Newer smoke detector models may come equipped with a special battery that has a 10-year service life and is not replaceable. In this case, continue to test the battery monthly and replace the entire unit after 10 years. Generally, all smoke detectors should be replaced after 10 years to ensure that continued protection is in place. This simple step can save your life or your loved ones.
To test a device, you typically have to press a button to hear the alarm activate. If it beeps, the battery is still good.
More than half of fatal home fires occur from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., and the risk of dying in a home fire is cut in half by having a working smoke detector installed, according to the U.S. Fire Administration.
If you really want a gold star in safety checks, you can also use the time change as a reminder to check your emergency supplies kit and replace your stored water so it won’t go stale. Also check the batteries in your kit to make sure they are still good, and make sure food and medication items have not expired. Emergency officials recommend that people rotate water and food out of their emergency supplies kits every six months.
If you don’t have an emergency supplies kit already, start one. Review what’s in a kit here on the ReadySanDiego page.
Show your spirit by entering the 2018 County employees Halloween Costume Contest. All the kooky and spooky submissions will be displayed in a photo gallery on InSite. The rules are:
Send one photo of yourself in costume to communications@sdcounty.ca.gov by 4 p.m., Oct. 31.
Include your full name, title, department and who (or what) you are dressed as in the body of the email. Please type the information even if it is in your signature block.
The photo should be taken between Friday, Oct. 26 and Wednesday, Oct. 31—this ensures employees who wear a uniform or work an alternative schedule can participate.
One entry per employee. You can enter as an individual or as a group—but not both. If you enter as an individual, be the only person in the photo. If you enter as a group, have just one person submit the photo.
Employees will be able to vote on InSite for their favorite costume from 10 finalists on Nov. 1 through 4:45 p.m. The winner will have bragging rights for one full year!
Don’t let the fun end there. Attend or watch the live video of Dia de los Muertos celebration at the County Operations Center from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Nov. 1. The festivities will include the County’s Got Talent competition, creative crafts, great games, a fantastic photo booth and terrific treats!
The votes are in! Five acts were selected to perform live in the County’s Got Talent finals during the Día de los Muertoscelebration at the County Operations Center on Nov. 1. Be there at noon to cheer them on or come back here to watch a livestream video of the fun.
The finalists are:
Lisa Gilbert, HHSA - Child Welfare Services
Eric Nedelman, Department of Purchasing and Contracting
Caitlin Bashaw, Planning and Development Services
Rachelle L. Reyes, HHSA - Viewridge Document Processing Center
Isaac Jackson: District Attorney’s Office - East County Branch
Create your very own virtual winter wonderland this holiday season. Sign up for Employee Wellness’ next challenge and get started!
In this quarterly challenge, employees will record daily health habits to earn points that create “paintings” of magical winter scenes from around the world. The more activities you log, the more splendid the scene. Each week there is a new scene with surprises and activities that inspire you to expand on the previous week’s success.
The challenge runs Nov. 5 through Dec. 16 and is open to individuals and teams. Register now through Nov. 9.
Employees requiring accommodation should email DHRWellness.FGG@sdcounty.ca.gov.
Join a spirited Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration at the County Operations Center from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Nov. 1. The festivities will include a County’s Got Talent contest, creative crafts, great games, salsa lessons, a fantastic photo booth and terrific treats!
Don’t fret if you can’t make it; there will be a livestream video of the event on InSite that day.
Read more: Enter Employee Halloween Costume Contest
Get ready for delicious cookies, cakes, pies, donuts, breads, pastries and more! The County Employees’ Charitable Organization (CECO) Bake Off and the Bake Sale will both take place Friday, Oct. 26 in Room 301 at the County Administration Center.
Treat yourself while supporting a good cause at the Bake Sale from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; all proceeds will benefit CECO!
If you’re a good baker, rise to the occasion and donate yummy goodies for the sale. Drop CECO an email to let them know you plan to prepare a dessert and then drop it off before the Bake Sale from 7 to 8 a.m., Oct. 26.
If your confections are perfection, enter the annual Bake Off competition. Entering is as easy as pie. Follow this simple recipe: First email CECO by Wednesday, Oct. 24. Then deliver the tasty treats to the Bake Sale by 8 a.m., Oct. 26. A mystery judge will sample each of the appetizing entries and a winner will be announced on InSite.
The South Region Live Well Center at National City employees from DCSS and HHSA rallied together to illustrate their mindfulness for breast cancer awareness by having their first “GO PINK” day!
The County Office of Emergency Services and San Diego County Fire/CAL FIRE recommend that everyone learn earthquake safety and response, but do you know why it is especially important for San Diego County employees and their families to know what to do and be prepared?
All San Diego County employees are considered Disaster Service Workers, and that means that we might all be called upon to assist in a natural disaster like an earthquake. This is why the County urges all employees to have an emergency plan for their family and emergency supplies at home. If called to work, you will want to know that your family will be safe.
We are in the final hours to register for the Great California ShakeOut, a drill that allows people to practice what to do during an earthquake. In San Diego County, more than 900,000 individuals, businesses and organizations are registered to drop, cover and hold on at 10:18 a.m. on Thursday 10/18. On a worldwide scale, ShakeOut organizers say millions of people will take part in the drill.
“Even if you cannot participate in the drill on Thursday, you can still register and practice your response at home with your family when it is more convenient to you. While you’re at it, review your disaster plan and check emergency supplies,” said Stephen Rea, assistant director for the County Office of Emergency Services. “We live in a state that is known for earthquakes and while we cannot predict earthquakes, one could happen at any time.”
Tony Mecham, County Fire and CAL FIRE San Diego Unit Chief, adds, “By learning what to do during an earthquake and practicing at work, school and home, it gives everyone a better chance of survival and improves recovery time. First responders may be unable to get to households in a large-scale disaster and that’s why people need to have basic supplies such as food and water at home.”
Drop, cover and hold on is the protective action recommended by federal, state and local emergency preparedness organizations as the best way to avoid or reduce injury during an earthquake. If indoors, seek cover under a desk or table, or if one is not in the area, move away from glass and heavy furniture and protect your head. Do not run outside if shaking begins but if already outdoors, try to find a clear area and sit down and protect your head. Move away from building exteriors, trees, and power lines if possible. For more specific situations and video demonstrations, click here.
The ShakeOut drill can be conducted in as little as 90 seconds. After your drill, look around your surroundings at work or at home to see what items might fall down or topple over during intense shaking and cause injury, then secure furniture and wall hangings to prevent the hazard.
Drill tips and information resources are available on the ShakeOut website. Free family disaster plan templates are also available on www.ReadySanDiego.org in multiple languages. The templates include a list of important items to assemble in your disaster emergency kit.
Here are a few other things that may be helpful for employees to do:
Complete a Family Disaster Plan
Assemble and update an emergency supply kit
Download the no-cost SD Emergency app
Get trained in first aid and CPR and/or join a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)
Use the Know Your Hazards
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