Property Maintenance Inspectors Michael Lambert and Tim Spear and Code Compliance Manager David Oliver attended the Parent Advisory Council (PAC) meeting at Westview Elementary School, 1605 W. Kirby Ave. on February 6, 2013. The meeting was for parents of elementary school children that are in the English as a Second Language program. The meeting was coordinated by the English Language Learner Parent Liaison for the Champaign Unit 4 School District, Judith Martinez. Interpreters were provided to translate the presentation for the parents in attendance.
Neighborhood Code Compliance Division was invited to attend and make a short presentation on fire safety in the home as a result of the presentation being previously viewed at the STAR Leadership Institute held at the Champaign Public Library. Michael Lambert and Tim Spear presented the program using some of the same information. The citizens in attendance were split between apartment dwellers, single family home dwellers, and mobile home dwellers. There seemed to be more renters than homeowners. The topics covered included smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, cooking safety, heating safety, smoking safety, and candle safety. Since the presentation was being translated as it was happening, it had to be adjusted to allow time for the message to be translated. It was also clear that the slides with bullet points were not as effective for this audience however the photos made a visual impact. This will be useful information for future presentations to groups like this.
Judith Martinez also requested Neighborhood Code Compliance repeat the fire safety presentation in April at the Garden Hills Elementary School. Ms. Martinez believes that there will be a larger turnout for the Garden Hills meeting.
