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September/October 1997 Edition
Village Installs Weather Warning System
Wheeling Human Rights Commission News
Safely Protect Your Family From Deadly Carbon Monoxide
Zebra Mussels and Your Drinking Water
Emergency Services 'Top Notch'
Residential Rehabilitation Loans Available
Flooding: How to Protect Yourself and Your Family
Village Installs Weather Warning System
The village, in an effort to receive advance warning of severe weather, has installed three new weather warning terminals. These units, which are installed in the Police Communications Center, the Public Works building and the Emergency Operations Center will provide up-to-date Doppler weather radar images as well as National Weather Service watches and warnings.
With these new terminals, village staff will be better prepared to provide service to the citizens of the community.
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Wheeling Human Rights Commission News
So, what does this Commission do when it is not hearing discrimination complaints? It promotes tolerance!
The Human Rights Commission, along with the District 21 Schools and PTO and the Wheeling Park District, will sponsor "The Happiness Club Dance Ensemble" on October 24. This multiethnic group of children and young adults from the Chicago area presents a colorful program woven from the writing of its members and audience members. The program celebrates the benefits of groups living together harmoniously and learning from one another. The Happiness Club is currently involved in several projects around the country' including the taping of a made for TV movie with Denzel Washington.
The Commission is also working on a provocative presentation for adult groups in connection with its "That's Not Right" anti-bigotry campaign. Groups interested in this presentation should call the village for information and scheduling.
Meetings are the second Tuesday of every month at 7:15 p.m. in the Village Hall.
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Safely Protect Your Family From Deadly Carbon Monoxide
The Wheeling Fire Department responds to approximately 100 calls annually for activated carbon monoxide (CO) detectors. Using sophisticated air monitoring equipment, the Fire Department usually finds elevated levels of CO in only a handful of these calls. When CO is found, even fewer have levels that are potentially life threatening. However, once or twice each year, there is a call where the level of CO is dangerously high and is of potentially lethal concentration. Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas produced as a common byproduct of fuel burning appliances. Natural gas furnaces, water heaters, and stoves all produce CO and, under normal conditions, is safely vented to the outside. Other common sources of CO are the exhaust from a vehicle and fireplaces. While the likelihood of carbon monoxide poisoning may appear to be relatively low, the danger associated with it is very real. It is estimated that nationally, more than 20,000 people each year become ill, due to prolonged exposure to elevated levels of carbon monoxide.
There are several steps you can take to protect yourself and your family from carbon monoxide poisoning:
Install at least one carbon monoxide detector in your home, preferably near the bedrooms. Do not install a detector in those areas immediately outside of furnace rooms or in the kitchen. Look for a unit with the Underwriter's Laboratories (UL) label on it. This is an indication that the unit has been designed and manufactured to stringent industry standards. Historically, battery operated units have had a higher degree of false alarms, but they are very reliable in detecting potentially dangerous levels of CO. Some units offer digital displays as an option. Just like a smoke detector, a carbon monoxide detector is an important lifesaving device.
Keep fuel burning appliances clean and well maintained. Have furnaces professionally cleaned and serviced annually. If you have a fireplace, have the flue cleaned and checked annually. When burning in a fireplace, partially open a nearby window to allow sufficient makeup air to re-enter your home.
Don't pre-warm your vehicle in the garage. When cold, a vehicle engine can produce levels of CO as high as 83,000 parts per million, thousands of times greater than the amount of CO needed to be fatal.
If you or anyone in your home continually experiences headaches and/or flu-like symptoms, call 9-1-1. The Fire Department will respond to your home and perform preliminary air monitoring for the presence of carbon monoxide. If you should have any questions, please feel free to call the Fire Prevention Bureau at 459-2662.
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Zebra Mussels and Your Drinking Water
Does the invasion of the zebra mussel into the Great Lakes affect anyone other than recreational boaters? The answer is yes! Though the zebra mussels are responsible for the clearing of the waters of the Great Lakes' system, this clearing has affected the quality, but not the safety of the drinking water.
Here's how it works. The water, now clearer than ever, allows sunlight to penetrate to greater depths, which in turn promotes unprecedented algal growth. Through the majority of the summer months, no significant changes in the quality of the water delivered to residential users is evident. The quality may, however, diminish as the fall season approaches. The abundant algal growth decays, producing the "musty" or "dirty" taste and odor to the drinking water some people may notice. This process is part of the natural cycle of the Great Lakes and the by-product of the zebra mussels work.
Be assured the water is safe to drink. While all practical methods to control these anomalies are being used, the water may still remain objectionable to some residents. As the water temperature of Lake Michigan decreases and the fall season takes hold, the problem will naturally correct itself.
Through current research sponsored by the American Water Works Association and others. it is hoped that a viable solution to these problems will be found in the very near future. Until then, the zebra mussel will remain a part of our daily lives through the summer seasons.
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Emergency Services 'Top Notch'
Paramedic service in the Village of Wheeling began in the early 1970's . as part of the first medical system of its type in the country. Since those early days, paramedic service within the village has continued to evolve into a very successful, high tech service to the community. Approximately 2,500 residents and visitors annually have need to use the paramedic services offered by the Fire Department.
The Wheeling Fire Department staffs two fully equipped advanced life support ambulances around the clock. A third fully equipped ambulance is available for those times when one of the primary ambulances is down for routine maintenance or repairs. There are 38 paramedics on the Fire Department, who are also cross trained as firefighters and who routinely perform both functions. All of the department's paramedics are licensed by the Illinois Department of Public Health and regularly receive continuing education. To supplement the department's ambulances, the Fire Department's engine companies (i.e. pumper trucks) carry basic life support equipment and are staffed by firefighter/paramedics. On emergency calls of a potentially life threatening situation, both an engine company and an ambulance are dispatched to the scene.
Based upon a number of factors, patients are routinely transported to Holy Family Hospital in Des Plaines or Glenbrook Hospital in Glenview. For those patients with severe trauma, they are transported to Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, since it is the closest Level I Trauma Center in the area. For patients who request transport to other hospitals, the Fire Department will remain on the scene, until the patient can be turned over to a private ambulance.
There are several things you can do to assist the paramedics:
Call for the paramedics only when there is a serious injury or illness. Paramedic service is intended to be for emergency situations only and is not intended to be a replacement for routine medical care/treatment. Appropriate uses of the paramedic service are: car accidents, possible heart at tacks and strokes, childbirth, broken bones, deep lacerations or extensive trauma, loss of consciousness, etc. In appropriate uses of the paramedic service include: minor cuts, bumps, and bruises, as well as routine flu and illness situations.
When the paramedics are needed, call 9- 1 - 1. 9- 1 - I is answered by the Wheeling Police Department Dispatch Center, which is staffed 24 hours a day. Once it is determined that the paramedics are needed, your call will be immediately transferred to the Regional Emergency Dispatch Center (RED Center), which handles dispatching for the Wheeling Fire Department and six (6) other are fire departments. Do not use the Fire Department's regular business telephone number since the fire station may be empty and there could be no one to answer the telephone.
When talking to the dispatcher, provide as much information about your specific needs, as possible. The information you provide will determine the type and amount of emergency equipment and personnel that will be sent.
If possible, have someone meet the paramedics outside, when they arrive. At night, turn on a porch light, if possible. Make sure the numbers on your home or business are clearly visible from the street and can be seen easily at night.
For patients who are on a variety of medications, keep a list of them handy at all times. Provide this information to the paramedics when they arrive.
For terminally ill patients, please keep an original signed copy of any "Do Not Resuscitate (DNR)" order that may exist with the patient at all times. Provide this information immediately to the paramedics, when they arrive.
If you should have any questions about the village's paramedic service, please call the Fire Department at 459-2662 or stop by either of the village's fire stations.
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Residential Rehabilitation Loans Available
What is the goal of the Residential Rehabilitation Program?
The goal of the Residential Rehabilitation Program is to improve the condition of existing homes in the Village of Wheeling by providing financial assistance to low and moderate income households. The program helps homeowners meet the costs of home repairs and maintenance such as correcting defects in electrical wiring or plumbing, installing a new furnace, replacing rotted wood or repairing damaged walls or roofing. Exterior renovation and improving energy-efficiency, such as installing wall and attic insulation, siding and storm windows and doors, are also assisted by the program. The program allows for up to $20,000 in repairs to each house.
How much do you pay?
You pay nothing until the sale of your house. The village provides a 0% interest loan to cover the costs of the home improvements. The loan is due upon the sale of the house or the transfer of the property. In effect, the loan is paid back to the village from the proceeds of the sale of the house. Until then, nothing is owed to the village.
Who is eligible?
Residents of Wheeling who have been homeowners of a single-family house for at least one year are eligible provided that they meet the following criteria:
a) Family income does not exceed the income limits shown below;Applications are now being accepted. Applications will be processed according to the date of acceptance and on the basis of need. Information concerning the applications and the recipients of the program is strictly confidential.
b) Family's assets (not including the property to be improved) do not exceed $50,000;
c) Ownership of the property must be verified by a title or tract search; whether the property is properly insured will also be verified..
Applications are available from the Community Development Department, 111 S. Northgate Parkway. For more information, call 459-2620.
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Flooding: How to Protect Yourself and Your Family
A Natural Phenomenon
Flooding is a natural phenomenon. No matter how many flood control projects are constructed, no matter how much thought goes into mitigating the impacts of development, there is a real potential for flooding to occur within the Village of Wheeling. While flooding does not affect all citizens, the costs due to damage and disruption are paid by everyone. With over 1200 existing buildings in the Village of Wheeling being located within Special Flood Hazard Areas, permanent protective measures for yourself and these buildings are very important.
What Percentage of Wheeling is Designated by FEMA as Special Flood Hazard Areas?
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has designated 30% of the Village of Wheeling as a Special Flood Hazard Area. This was exhibited by flood events in 1982 and 1987 causing thousands of dollars in losses and insurance claims. While numerous flood control projects have been constructed and planned along with the implementation of storm water runoff regulations, flooding as a natural phenomenon will continue to present a threat to the village.
Where are the Flood Hazard Areas
The majority of the flood hazard areas within the village are located along Buffalo Creek/Wheeling Drainage Ditch, McDonald Creek and the Des Plaines River. In addition to the areas adjacent to these waterways, a significant flood hazard exists in low lying areas within the village. (As stated above, there are over 1,200 buildings located within these areas.) Special Flood Hazard Areas are identified on the village's Flood Insurance Rate Map. Copies of this map are available free of charge at both the Village Hall and the public library.
Flood Map Determinations and Information is Available
In December, 1990, the village implemented a procedure for making written flood zone map determinations. These determinations are used primarily when obtaining mortgages for property located within a flood hazard area that requires the purchase of flood insurance as a condition of the mortgage. Written determinations will be made upon the submission of the following to the Community Development Department.
Name of applicant;
Address of property, if assigned;
Legal description;
Survey of the property;
P.I.N. number, Topographic survey, if available,
$25.00 fee.
For further information on Determinations, contact the Community Development Department at 459-2620.
What Can Be Done?
Protection
The protection of both people and contents from the perils of flooding are of key importance. Learning safety precautions to be undertaken prior to and during a flood and methods which can be taken to avoid damage to movable objects can reduce the damage and danger caused by flooding.
Protection of buildings is also possible with various methods available for protecting existing buildings from flood damage. These include relocation out of a flood hazard area, elevation of the structure to above the flood hazard level, construction of floodwalls around the building to keep flood water out, and dry and wet floodproofing to minimize damage caused by flood waters.
All of the methods listed above have advantages and disadvantages. The most appropriate method will usually be determined by the condition of the building, flood hazard, floodplain regulations, and cost of implementing the measures.
Two booklets are published by the Illinois Department of Transportation, Division of Water Resources, that include information on protecting yourself and your buildings from flood damage. Copies of "Protect Your Home From Flood Damage" and "Flooded Basements: A Homeowner's Guide" are both available for review at the Indian Trails Public Library, or you may obtain a copy free of charge by contacting the Community Development Department at 459-2620.
Flood Insurance
The village has been a participant in the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978. This program makes flood insurance available to all residents of the village. You do not have to live in a flood hazard area to be eligible to purchase flood insurance. A "Standard Flood Insurance Policy" may be purchased from any agent who is licensed to write property and casualty insurance. Rates are based on the building type, when it was built, and are established on a nationwide basis.
The Village of Wheeling has been certified as a Class 8 in the National Flood Insurance Program's Community Rating System (CRS). This means that all National Flood Insurance policies issued or renewed for property within the Village of Wheeling in the Special Flood Hazard Areas will receive a 10% premium discount (as of October 1, 1993). Policies issued or renewed for property outside the Special Flood Hazard Areas already reflect discounts based on reduced risk and are limited to a 5% CRS discount.
These savings are the tangible results of the voluntary activities implemented by the Village of Wheeling to remain a leader in pursuit of flood hazard and damage reduction.
Restrictions
Development of any type within these special flood areas is strictly regulated. In order to do any grading or filling or any other type of construction in these areas, a special "Floodplain Development Permit" is required. This permit is issued in conjunction with other construction permits to assure that the new construction will not be susceptible to flood damage or cause increased flood damage potential to others. Any questions regarding proposed projects should be directed to the Community Development Department.
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