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Politics & Government

Council Turns Attention To Emergency Services and Disease Awareness

San Bruno expresses appreciation to Foster City for providing relief after gas line explosion.

Public safety was a prominent feature of last night's City Council of Foster City meeting, as council members acknowledged and appreciated a variety of causes centered around increasing awareness and community activism.

The meeting began with San Bruno City Councilwoman Irene O'Connell expressing appreciation on behalf of her city for the assistance provided by Foster City in the aftermath of the San Bruno gas line explosion.

Foster City police and fire fighters provided relief, along with other Peninsula communities, last September after an underground gas line unexpectedly exploded in a San Bruno neighborhood. The disaster caused multiple deaths and injuries to residents as well as caused destruction to homes and property.

Councilwoman O'Connell, speaking on behalf of her council members, expressed appreciation and support for the response provided by Foster City immediately after the explosion, and during the subsequent days after.

She said the response was a sign of the effectiveness of San Mateo County's mutual aid response system, in which during times of crisis, neighboring cities provide relief to the community experiencing a disaster.

O'Connell presented a certificate of appreciation to the council.

Mayor Linda Koelling commended the city and residents of San Bruno for the recovery effort after the explosion, and deferred some of the appreciation to the rest of the neighboring cities that provided assistance.

"This entire county came together," she said. "We are neighbors and friends, we all came together, and it's wonderful that we showed what a county could do."

In an attempt to express appreciation for the people who work and volunteer for the relief teams that make Foster City's emergency response act so efficiently, the council proclaimed next week will be dedicated to the city's emergency dispatchers, and volunteer teams.

April 10-16 will be dedicated to appreciating the city's telecommunication department, reserve police officers, emergency services volunteers and the youths in the police explorers program, as proclaimed by the council Tuesday night.

Mayor Koelling said the city's dispatchers in the telecommunications department answered nearly 6,000 emergency calls last year, and organized the resolution of more than 3,000 incidents.

"Each person has exhibited compassion and professionalism," she said, of the dispatch department.

While participating in National Volunteer Week, the city its show their support and appreciation for those who donate their time and services to the city's fire and police departments.

The reserve police officers go out on patrol, assist detectives and are available to provide help whenever necessary, said Police Chief Craig Courtin.

Emergency services volunteers help directing people during the Arts & Wine Festival, and also contribute to missing persons searches, said Chief Courtin.

Councilwoman Pam Frisella read the city's proclamation of appreciation and encouraged other community members to get involved with the volunteer opportunities offered in Foster City.

Furthering the effort to increase public awareness about potential health hazards, the council proclaimed that April 25-29 will be West Nile virus and mosquito control week.

Since Foster City is below sea level, at times drainage issues in the cities' waste water system can occur resulting in pools of standing water, which are prime breeding grounds for mosquitos. The rainy weather followed by heat spells can increase mosquito breeding.

Mosquitos can be carriers of a variety of illnesses, most notably West Nile virus, which sickened over 100 Californians last year, according to Theresa Shelton, an expert in mosquito control.

The city performs control efforts on its own, such as spraying potential nesting areas underground and providing free mosquito eating fish to residents with ponds on their property.

No one in San Mateo county was infected by West Nile virus last year, but some cases have been found in dead squirrels and birds, showing that it is present locally, said Shelton.

Mayor Koelling thanked Shelton for an informative report, and proclaimed the city's intention to increase awareness.

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