Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Editor
According to MDC’s Forestry Division, the main cause of wildfires is improper burning of debris such as trash and brush piles. The Department urges landowners, hunters, campers, and others in the outdoors to help prevent wildfires and offers the following tips.
Outdoor Burning
Do not conduct outdoor burning during times when grasses, brush, and other fire fuels are very dry, humidity is low and weather is windy.
Dry fuel, combined with high temperatures, low humidity, and high winds, makes fire nearly impossible to control.
Check with local fire departments regarding burn bans that may be in place, or if there is a “red flag warning.” A red flag warning is issued when there is a high risk of fire spreading rapidly because of low humidity and high winds.
A person who starts a fire for any reason is responsible for any damage it may cause.
For more information on using prescribed fire as a land-management tool, visit mdc.mo.gov and search “Prescribed Fire.”Driving Off Road
Wildfires can start when fine, dry fuel such as grass comes in contact with catalytic converters on motor vehicles.
*Think twice before driving into and across a grassy field.
*Never park over tall, dry grass or piles of leaves that can touch the underside of a vehicle.
*When driving vehicles off road, regularly inspect the undercarriage to ensure that fuel and brake lines are intact and no oil leaks are apparent.
*Always carry an approved fire extinguisher on vehicles that are used off road.
*Check for the presence of spark arresters on ATV exhausts.
Making a Campfire
Clear a generous zone around fire rings. When humidity is low and wind is high, debris can become tinder for a stray spark or ember.
*Store unused firewood a good distance from the fire.
*Never use gasoline, kerosene, or other flammable liquid to start a fire.
*Keep campfires small and controllable.
*Keep fire-extinguishing materials, such as a rake, shovel, and bucket of water, close by.
*Never leave a campfire unattended! Extinguish campfires each night and before leaving camp, even for a few moments.
*Smokers: Practice Extra Caution - Extinguish cigarettes completely and safely and dispose of butts responsibly.
Don't Delay Calling for Help!
Call 911 at the first sign of a fire getting out of control.
Report Forest Arson - Many wildfires are set by vandals.
Help stop arson by calling Operation Forest Arson at 800-392-1111. Callers will remain anonymous and rewards are possible.
DID YOU KNOW: In cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service, MDC provided more than $354,000 in grants to 182 volunteer fire departments last year for protective clothing, equipment, and training. The Department also obtained more than $5 million in equipment from federal government programs for volunteer fire departments in the state, and provided wildland fire-suppression training to more than 400 Missouri firefighters.
For more information on preventing wildfires, go online to mdc.mo.gov.
Submitted by
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Editor
Missouri - Gov. Jay Nixon today declared a state of emergency in Missouri as a widespread severe weather system continued to move across the state, bringing heavy rain, hail, high winds, flooding and flash flooding, and at least one reported tornado. The heavy rain associated with the severe weather has already led to several water rescues along flooded streams and rivers. Another round of severe weather is forecast for much of the state today.
“With the continued significant risk of severe storms and flooding, I urge Missourians to closely monitor weather conditions, so they can take shelter or move to higher ground if needed,” Gov. Nixon said. “The state of Missouri will continue to work closely with local officials to help protect lives and property from these storms.”
The Governor ordered activation of the State Emergency Operations Center, which has been closely monitoring the storm system. Gov. Nixon has been receiving updates from his emergency management team to assess the current weather situation and address local needs. The team includes senior officials from the Missouri Department of Public Safety, the State Emergency Management Agency, the Missouri National Guard and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
Gov. Nixon has also activated the Missouri State Emergency Operations Plan, which allows state agencies to coordinate directly with local jurisdictions to provide emergency services.
Submitted by
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Editor
North and Southbound I-55 in Scott County will be reduced to one lane as Missouri Department of Transportation crews perform routine bridge inspection.
This is the bridge over Ramsey Creek at Scott City.
Weather permitting, work will performed Monday, April 7 from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the northbound lanes and Tuesday, April 8 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on southbound lanes.
The work zone will be marked with signs. Motorists are urged to use extreme caution while traveling near the area.
For additional information, contact MoDOT's Customer Service Center toll-free at 1-888-ASK-MODOT (1-888-275-6636) or visit www.modot.org/southeast.
Submitted by
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Editor
United States - National One Cent Day is celebrated each year on April 1. This day is all about the one cent piece (the penny).
The Lincoln cent is the current one cent coin of the U.S. dollar. Adopted in 1909, it replaced the Indian Head cent. From 1959 to 2008, the reverse side featured the Lincoln Memorial. Four different reverse designs in 2009 honored Lincoln’s 200th birthday and a new, permanent reverse – the Union Shield – was introduced in 2010.
The U.S. Mint’s official name for a penny is “cent” and the official name by the U.S. Treasury is “one cent piece”. In American English, pennies is the plural form, other plural forms pence and pee (standard use in British English) are not used.
“As of 2012, it costs the U.S. Mint 2.00 cents to make a cent because of the cost of materials and production. This figure includes the Mint’s fixed components for distribution and fabrication, estimated at $13 million in FY 2011.
It also includes Mint overhead allocated to the penny, which was $17.7 million for 2011. Fixed costs and overhead would have to be absorbed by other circulating coins without the penny.
The loss in profitability due to producing the one cent coin in the United States for the year of 2012 was $58,000,000. This was a slight decrease from 2011, the year before, which had a production loss of $60,200,000.” (Wikipedia)
On National One Cent Day, you can research the history of the penny and also learn about saving your cents. Each cent saved accumulates over time.
Submitted by
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Editor
United States - Did you call the office this morning saying you were going to be an hour late for work because your car would not start and then walk in a minute later and say “April Fools!” or did you put a rubber band around the faucet so the next person to turn it on gets sprayed all over??
April Fools’ Day is celebrated on April 1st of each year. Sometimes referred to as ‘All Fools’ Day, it is not a national holiday. April Fools Day is widely recognized and celebrated, by many, as a day when people play practical jokes and hoaxes on each other.
Here is a little April Fools History: (There are different theories as to the beginning of April Fools Day.)
“The earliest recorded association between April 1 and foolishness can be found in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales (1392).
In the 1392 writings by Chaucer,Canterbury Tales, the “Nun’s Priest’s Tale” is set March thirty days and two. Modern scholars believe that there was a copying error in the manuscripts and that Chaucer actually meant 32 days after April, i.e. May 2. (the anniversary of the engagement of King Richard II of England to Anne of Bohemia). The readers misunderstood it to mean March 32, i.e. April 1. In Chaucer’s tale, the vain cock Chauntecleer is tricked by a fox.
Many writers suggest that the restoration, in 1582, of January 1 by Pope Gregory XIII as New Year’s Day of the Gregorian Calendar in the 16th century was responsible for the birth of the holiday. With New Year’s Day moved to January 1, not all people were aware of this news, or refused to accept it, and celebrated the new year on April 1st, as in the past. These people were then labeled “fools” and were subject to ridicule and practical jokes.
1508 – French poet, Eloy d’Amerval referred to a poissond’avril (April fool, literally April fish) a possible reference to the April Fool holiday.
1539 – Flemish poet Eduard de Dene wrote of a nobleman who sent his servants on foolish errands on April 1.
1686 – John Aubrey referred to April Fools Day as Fools holy day, the first British reference.
1686 – On April 1, several people were tricked into going to the Tower of London to “see the Lions washed”
