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The National Sheriffs' Association's
Charles “Bud” Meeks Deputy Sheriff of the Year Award
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Thank you to our friends over at the Florida Sheriffs Association and the National Sheriffs' Association for honoring CCSO's very own Deputy Sheriff Kyle Robinson. Deputy Robinson was awarded the very prestigious Charles “Bud” Meeks Deputy Sheriff of the Year Award during their summer conference in Phoenix, Arizona.
Deputy Robinson was recognized for his professionalism while encountering a mentally disturbed person after responding to a call regarding an individual who was bleeding and displaying irrational behaviors. Deputy Robinson was attacked by the subject of the call who was eventually subdued and charged with multiple crimes, including attempted first-degree murder of a law enforcement officer.
Our office is extremely proud of the bravery displayed by Deputy Robinson and for his diligence in upholding his oath to protect and serve the citizens of Citrus County.
Thank you Deputy Robinson for your unwavering service to our community!
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Have you signed up for Alert Citrus? |
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One of the best ways to remain informed this hurricane season is by SIGNING UP FOR ALERT CITRUS.
Alert Citrus is a mass notification service that will help keep you up-to-date when preparing for a severe weather situation. When getting ready for a storm or hurricane season – things can get pretty chaotic with different information coming from all directions.
Alert Citrus is a notification program that will communicate critical, reliable information that you need to know in the time of an emergency. The goal of this messaging system is to provide a level of reassurance that the information you are receiving is accurate, relevant, and timely.
The Alert Citrus Program allows you to opt-in to receive notifications via phone calls, text messaging, e-mail, and/or the mobile application based on locations you select. You can choose to receive notifications about events that may affect your home, workplace, family's schools and more.
This system will be used to notify you about imminent threats to health and safety, as well as informational notifications that affect your locations or work environments. The Citrus County Sheriff's Office will send notifications regarding severe weather, evacuations, flooding, missing persons, gas leaks, law enforcement activity, etc.
To sign up, visit the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office website at www.sheriffcitrus.org. Scroll down and click on the Alert Citrus logo. Fill in your personal information and click create account. Once completed, you will be added to our Emergency Communications Network to receive alerts for Citrus County.
By signing up, you are automatically opted in to ALL emergency notifications sent by the Citrus County Sheriff's Office. You may edit your weather notification preferences or opt-out entirely from weather notifications. This is why "Weather' is the only check box available upon sign in - it is the only service you may edit or opt-out of.
If your contact information changes, you can always visit your profile and update your information to continue to receive these important and possibly life-saving notifications.
If you have any additional questions or would like more information on Alert Citrus, please contact our Emergency Management personnel at 352-249-2705 or citrusem@sheriffcitrus.org and they will be able to assist you.
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ARTICLE OF THE MONTH: Understanding the role of Emergency Management
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The key to surviving any disaster is planning. The Citrus County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Management team works year-round to ensure local officials are prepared for any type of critical situation, and educates the public on the proper steps to take for different emergencies.
The Emergency Management team is responsible for emergency preparedness and recovery efforts before, during and after a catastrophic event. Here are some frequently used terms to describe what E.M. does:
Mitigation: Mitigation refers to the activity or pre-planning steps taken to help reduce or eliminate the effects of a major disaster. In Citrus County, mitigation efforts include response, planning and recovery.
Response: How well local government responds initially to a critical situation involving widespread power outages, severe personal property loss, or even death, is extremely important. Citrus County works from a written response plan that prioritizes meeting the most important needs first.
Planning: Perhaps the most important role of emergency management is the planning process when asking, “What would we do if ...”. Emergency Management officials continuously train for “worst-case” scenarios that could affect Citrus County, from terrorism to natural disasters. The planning phase is enormous, and includes personnel trained in all phases of mitigation, response and recovery.
Recovery: Recovery is the phase that continues until all daily life routines — power, debris removal, basic needs, etc. — return to normal or as close to normal as possible. The recovery process can take days, weeks, or even years depending on the size and scope of a disaster.
During the off-season, Emergency Management officials focus a great deal on community outreach, such as hurricane preparedness presentations to schools, community organizations and hosting our Annual All Hazards Expo. This team also host training classes at our Emergency Operations Center on a myriad of topics related to emergency management. One of the most important and time-consuming projects Emergency Management officials tackle in the off-season is reviewing and evaluating our emergency plans and responses from previous years.
The lessons learned from past responses are pulled forward so that we continue to improve. Once plans are updated, we must test and exercise the new plan. Testing, exercising, and evaluating plans, along with the coordinated response, before a real-world event takes place is the underlying difference between success and failure.
Trust that if and when a disaster strikes, your Emergency Management team will be prepared to help you!
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To further guide our citizens on the many resources they have available to them from their local officials, we are hosting our 2021 All Hazards Expo virtually! So be sure to follow our social media pages each week (Tues. & Thurs.) now through August for important messages from your trusted sources! |
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2021 Citrus County All-Hazards Disaster Planning Guide |
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Do you know where your shelter is located? |
The Citrus County Emergency Management team would like to remind you to have an evacuation plan in place before a crisis occurs. If you must evacuate, you should look first at relocating with family, friends or a trusted organization located outside the disaster area. Moving into a public shelter should be your last option. They are not comfortable, they are noisy and there is little to no real privacy.
Public schools open as shelters when citizens are issued a voluntary or mandatory evacuation notice. Not all shelters may open. You should listen to the news, follow our social media channels, or call the citizen information line once activated to find out which shelters are open.
A pet-friendly shelter and a special needs shelter are also available.
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The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has declared scallop season to be July 1st through September 24th for Levy, Citrus and Hernando counties.
Now that it's officially scalloping season, here are a few quick facts you should know:
- Scallops can only be harvested from specific zones as stated on FWC’s website
- A saltwater fishing license is required for scalloping
- Scallop harvesting must be done either by hand or using a landing/dip net
It is important to know the daily bag limits this scalloping season. The FWC states the rules for Citrus, Levy and Hernando County as follows:
- Per person: 2 gallons of whole bay scallops in shell or 1 pint of bay scallop meat
- Per vessel: Maximum of 10 gallons of whole bay scallops in shell or 1/2 gallon bay scallop meat (1/2 gallon = 4 pints)
*Bag limits and other scalloping rules may differ by county, so make sure you know the rules for your area.
𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑎 𝑑𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑑𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑓𝑙𝑎𝑔?
Scallop season means taking extra precautions to keep everyone safe on the water. If someone in your boating party is participating in any diving activity (including searching for scallops), a diver down flag must be displayed. According to FWC, “the divers-down symbol is rectangular or square and red in color with a white diagonal stripe”. This flag warns fellow boaters to keep an eye out for the divers and to give you plenty of space.
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𝑊ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝐼 𝑔𝑒𝑡 𝑜𝑛𝑒?
Diver down flags are available for purchase through many online websites and in many boating supply stores.
Help keep scallopers safe this season by using your diver down flag!
(Diver down flag pictured to the left)
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𝐷𝑖𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤? The FWC recommends the following rules for disposing scallop shells:
- Do not dump scallop shells in inshore waters where recreational activities occur (Homosassa River, Crystal River, etc.).
- Piles of scallop shells can be dangerous to swimmers and can harm seagrass habitats.
- Shells can be disposed in a trash receptacle or in large, open bodies of water where they are more likely to scatter.
Following these recommendations can help preserve wildlife and keep swimmers safe! Do your research to help you stay safe and avoid trouble this scalloping season.
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EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH
May 2021
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COMMUNICATIONS
Michele Hart
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WEST PATROL
Emmalee Harris
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A RIDDLE WITH CAPTAIN SPIDDLE
COMMANDER OF THE CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS DIVISION
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Unlike an oyster, I like to swim free.
See there are over 400 species,
just like me.
I can live up to 20 years.
And have over 200 eyes,
but still can't shed a tear.
My diet is algae, larvae, and krill.
Put your divers down flag up,
as searching for me is a thrill.
Ranging from whites, purples, and blues,
my outer shell isn't quite the best camouflage from you.
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Answer to last month's riddle: A Hurricane |
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CITRUS COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE www.SheriffCitrus.org
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