October 14, 2011 - Gosport

PAGE2October 14, 2011NHP joins with ECHD to fight syphilisFrom NH Pensacola PAOThe number of syphilis cases in Escambia Countyhas reached a 30-year high, county health officialsreported recently. The Escambia County HealthDepartment (ECHD) also identified and reported asix-year high in syphilis cases occurring mostly inareas adjacent to Naval Air Station Pensacola andNAS Corry Station.“The increase in Escambia County syphilis casesdoes not reflect any increase in local Navy personnelor dependents, but it is still an important risk toaddress with our population,” according to Cmdr.(Dr.) Michael Acromite, director of Public Health atNaval Hospital Pensacola.The greatest increases were among both males andfemales between 20-24 years of age.From University of West FloridaFrom Fire and EmergencyServices Gulf CoastOne problem with afire aboard a boat is thatunlike a house whererunning across the streetto escape the flames isan option, on a boatthere’s no place to gobut overboard.Unfortunately, thisviolates the second ruleof boating: Stay withthe boat. However, ifenough water can bebrought into the boat,the fire can usually beput out. Although thisviolates the first law ofboating: Keep the wateroutside the boat.Obviously stoppingfires from getting startedin the first place isthe best defense. TheNo. 1 cause of fires onboats are direct current(DC) wiring faults.Many fires are startedby battery cables, bilgepump wires and eveninstrument wires chafingon hard objects likevibrating engines orsharp-edged bulkheads.Shore power can be aproblem area as well; 11percent of fires wereMore than 2,500 military andveteran students at the Universityof West Florida (UWF) now haveaccess to specialized resources toassist in the transition from militaryto civilian life with the openingof the UWF Military andVeterans Resource Center(MVRC).Students who served in the militaryare six times more likely toattempt suicide than the averagecollege student, according toresearch by the AmericanPsychological Association andreported in USA Today.“Men and women in the militaryface a unique set of challengesand this resource center will be aone-stop shop to assist them in thetransition from military to civilianlife,” said Marc Churchwell, directorof the MVRC and project coordinatorof Hometown Heroes.“It is often difficult for a veteranto seek out help at a counselingcenter and so theresource center will bring thecounselors to those who needhelp.”— Marc ChurchwellMVRC directorThe MVRC offers severalresources specifically for militaryand veteran students:• Transition coaches to assistindividual veteran students;• Computer center for coursework;• Reception area staffed by astudent assistant;• Lounge area to relax and networkwith peers;The 69 countywide cases of syphilis identified byECHD equals the total cases reported in all of lastyear.NH Pensacola and its three Escambia Countybranch health clinics have identified one reportedcase of syphilis to date in 2011. There were four casesin all of 2010.Nevertheless, this represents an infection risk toour population, says Dr. Acromite.NH Pensacola has teamed with ECHD and its communityhealth partners to help address and reverse thecurrent trend by targeting high-risk populationsthrough a concerted public health campaign emphasizingeducation, screening and prevention.This comprehensive community outreach effortwas launched in those communities with the highestsyphilis rates.UWF opens military, veterans resource centerstarted by the boat’s airconditioning system,frequently at the shorepower inlet. A few firesevery year are causedby heaters and otherhousehold appliancesthat were brought onboard.Electrical fires can behard to put out becausethe source of the heat (ashorted wire) canreignite the fire evenafter a fire extinguisherhas been used, which iswhy your boat musthave a main batteryswitch and/or ACbreaker to turn off theboat’s entire electricalsystem.Carrying only therequired minimum fireextinguisher is literally“playing with fire.”• Office for visiting counselorsto support veteran students; and• Private study room for groupstudy.“It is often difficult for a veteranto seek out help at a counselingcenter and so the resource centerwill bring the counselors to thosewho need help,” Churchwell said.“It’s also been proven helpful forthese students to mentor oneanother. A veteran who has been inschool for some time can provideinvaluable assistance and supportto a new veteran recentlyenrolled.”The MVRC is located in theSmall Business DevelopmentCenter Building (Bldg. 38) of theUWF main Pensacola campus at11000 University Parkway. Formore information, contact MarcChurchwellatmchurchwell@uwf.edu.GOSPORTTraining to create front-line airfields ... MarineStaff Sgt. Joaquin Moreno, right, an instructor atNaval Air Technical Training Center’s MarineCorps Expeditionary Airfield School watches AirForce Lt. Col. Mike Mendoza, chief of Air ForceCivil Engineer Support Agency’s ReadinessSupport Division, retract aircraft arresting gearcable after a simulated arrest during Mendoza’svisit to the school to see how the Marine Corpstrain’s expeditionary air field operators and successfullycreates operating airfields on the frontline.The Marine Expeditionary Airfield Field Schoolis responsible for providing selected USMC personnelwith apprenticeship level technicalinstruction in the installation, operation, maintenance,inspection and embarkation of expeditionaryairfield equipment.Photo by AEC Thomas HebertFire Prevention Week: What to do in a boat fire situationTests, using a simulatedgalley fire, revealed thata 2.5-pound extinguisherin the hands of aninexperienced userlacked the capacity toextinguish the fire; nosurprise when you considerthat the averagedischarge time for a 2.5-pound. canister is nineto 10 seconds. TheNational Fire ProtectionAssociation (NFPA) hasissued extinguisher recommendationsthat gobeyond the CoastGuard’s minimumrequirements. Not onlythe number, but thelocation of your extinguishersis critical. Ifyou can’t get to anextinguisher when youneed it, it’s worthless.You shouldn’t have totravel more than halfthe length of the boat toreach it.Fight a fire yourselfif, and only if:• It’s small and confinedto the immediatearea where it started.Generally, if you don’tget to it within oneminute, you’re too late.• You have a way outand can fight with yourback to the exit.• Your extinguisher israted for the class of fireat hand. (If you boughtABC units, you don’thave to worry aboutthis.) Only Class A firescan be extinguishedwith water.• You are confidentthat you can operateyour extinguisher effectively:Aim the nozzleat the base of the fire.Hold the unit upright.Sweep from side to sideat the base, or use aseries of short blastsaimed at the base.Check for glowing orsmoldering embers andrepeat the procedure if“flashback” occurs.If you have the slightestdoubt about whetheryou can contain the fire,don’t even try.Your first concern isthe safety of the peopleaboard. Notify someoneimmediately of your situationand locationbefore the fire burnsthrough the batterycables or forces you offthe boat.Burning fiberglass isextremely hot and givesoff noxious fumes. Iffiberglass is burning,get off the boat.For more informationon boat fire safetyreview Boat U.S.Magazine. Fire andEmergency ServiceGulf Coast offer fireextinguisher training.Call 452-2898 for information.Vol. 75, No. 41 October 14, 2011Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Fla.: A Bicentennial Defense CommunityCommanding Officer — Capt. Christopher W. PlummerPublic Affairs Officer — Harry C. WhiteThe Gosport nameplate pays homage to the100th anniversary of naval aviation in 2011: theCentennial of Naval Aviation, or CONA.The image on the left side of the nameplatedepicts Eugene Ely taking off in a Curtiss pusherbi-plane from the USS Pennsylvania Jan. 18,1911.While Ely had taken off from the USSBirmingham two months earlier after his planehad been loaded on the ship, the USSPennsylvania event was the first time a planelanded on and then took off from a U.S. warship.The image on the right side is the Navy’smost modern fighter aircraft, the F-18 SuperHornet.Established in 1921 as the Air Station News,the name Gosport was adopted in 1936. Agosport was a voice tube used by flight instructorsin the early days of naval aviation to giveinstructions and directions to their students.The name “Gosport” was derived fromGosport, England (originally God’s Port),where the voice tube was invented.Gosport is an authorized newspaper publishedevery Friday by Ballinger Publishing,TMThe Rhodes Building, 41 North JeffersonStreet, Suite 402, Pensacola, FL 32504, in theinterest of military and civilian personnel andtheir families aboard the Naval Air StationPensacola, Saufley Field and Corry Station.Editorial and news material is compiled bythe Public Affairs Office, 150 Hase Road, Ste.-A, NAS Pensacola, FL 32508-1051.All news releases and related materialsshould be mailed to that address, e-mailed toscott.hallford@navy.mil .National news sources are AmericanForces Press Service (AFPS), Navy NewsService (NNS), Air Force News Service(AFNS), News USA and North AmericanPrecis Syndicate (NAPS).Opinions expressed herein do not necessarilyrepresent those of the Department ofDefense, United States Navy, officials of theNaval Air Station Pensacola, or BallingerPublishing.All advertising, including classified ads, isarranged through Ballinger Publishing.Minimum weekly circulation is 25,000.Everything advertised in this publication mustbe made available for purchase, use or patronagewithout regard to rank, rate, race, creed,color, national origin or sex of the purchaser,user or patron. A confirmed rejection of thispolicy of equal opportunities by an advertiserwill result in the refusal of future advertisingfrom that source.For classified ads, call:(850) 433-1166, ext. 24For commercial advertising:Simone Sands (850) 433-1166, ext. 21Simone@ballingerpublishing.ComVisit Us On The Web At: Ballinger Publishing.ComMail To: Gosport, NAS Pensacola, 150 Hase Road,Ste.-A, Pensacola, FL 32508-1051Gosport EditorScott Hallford452-4466scott.hallford@navy.milGosport Associate EditorMike O’Connor452-2165michael.f.o’connor.ctr@navy.milGosport Staff WritersEmily Benner452-4419emily.benner.ctr@navy.milSN Roselyn Kirkelieroselyn.kirkelie@navy.mil