Stockton home of 12-year-old in coma gets major retrofitting

Roy Vazquez Jr. is shown in a family photo in August, a day before a ruptured brain artery rendered him comatose.Hector Vazquez

December 14, 2013 12:00 AM

STOCKTON - Sylvia Vazquez wants to bring her son home for Christmas.

John Shores, George Koertzen and a dozen or so building trades volunteers are doing everything in their power to make that happen.

And 12-year-old Roy Vazquez Jr. is demonstrating those signs of hope - independent breathing, opening his eyes - that could make that dream a reality.

Roy Vazquez Jr. is a seventh-grader at Hazelton Elementary. The school is selling T-shirts with his bucket list printed on them as a fundraiser. The family still faces daunting financial challenges. "Our son will require many things insurance doesn't provide," said Sylvia Vazquez, Roy's mother. "Diapers, personal care items, bedding, disposable bed pads." To help, you can:

Call: (209) 933-7210

Visit or write: Hazelton Elementary, 535 W. Jefferson St., Stockton CA 95206

Online: Get a T-shirt at Etsy.com ("Calianimal" in search box).

Original post:
'God's blessings' for stricken boy's family

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December 13th, 2013 2:03 pm by Associated Press

CATAWBA, N.C. The scheduled burning of the million-dollar home once owned by former NASCAR driver Jeremy Mayfield as part of a fire training exercise has been canceled.

Chief Donald Robinson of the Catawba Volunteer Fire Department said Saturday's scheduled burning was called off because of the threat of rain. Firefighters had said previously that rain would not prevent the burning from taking place.

Robinson said the house was in such bad shape firefighters couldn't conduct any of the practice drills inside. He also said the new owner doesn't want to keep the house, adding that the house will either be burned down or torn down.

State officials kicked Mayfield off the land in November 2012. Catawba County sheriff's deputies changed the locks on the doors. Carolina Farm Credit received an order that month transferring the land and buildings to the company. Court records show the bank bought the land for $1,725,000.

The windows and the wiring have been stripped from the home. Drywall and other building materials are now exposed.

Mayfield was suspended from driving in 2009 after testing positive for methamphetamine. He is facing a variety of charges.

CATAWBA, N.C. The million-dollar home once owned by former NASCAR driver Jeremy Mayfield is scheduled to be burned to the ground as part of a fire training exercise.

The Catawba County Fire Marshal's Office said the 12,000-square-foot unfinished house will be burned down on Saturday.

Read the rest here:
Update: Threat of rain cancels burning of Mayfield's former home

The million-dollar home once owned by former NASCAR driver Jeremy Mayfield is scheduled to be burned to the ground as part of a fire training exercise.

The Catawba County Fire Marshal's Office says the 12,000-square-foot unfinished house will be burned down on Saturday.

Catawba Fire Chief Donald Robinson said the new owners no longer want the home that is worth just over $300,000.

Robinson told WSOC in Charlotte that burning the home will take it off the tax books while providing training for firefighters in the county.

"Everything we can do to better our training and skills, that's what we are going to be doing with this house," Robinson said.

State officials kicked Mayfield off the land in November 2012. Catawba County sheriff's deputies changed the locks on the doors. Carolina Farm Credit received an order that month transferring the land and buildings to the company. Court records show the bank bought the land for $1,725,000.

The windows and the wiring have been stripped from the home. Drywall and other building materials are now exposed.

Mayfield was suspended from driving in 2009 after testing positive for methamphetamine. He is facing a variety of charges.

See the rest here:
Ex-racer Mayfield's home to be burned for training

The following information is provided by the Northampton Township Police Department:

Wednesday, Nov. 6

THEFT - Grenoble Road at Old Jacksonville Road. An investigator for PECO reported the theft of 1250 feet of copper wire valued at $4300 from their power lines. When the theft occurred was not known.

Friday, Nov. 8

DUI-RELATED ACCIDENT - Officers responded to a one vehicle traffic crash in the 300 block of Worthington Mill Road. On arrival they found that a vehicle that had been traveling eastbound had failed to negotiate a curve, left the roadway, struck a sign, bushes and traveled down an embankment. The driver of the vehicle was found standing beside it and identified as Richard Hays, 27, of Newtown. Observations of Hays by the officers, along with his inability to successfully preform a series of field dexterity tests, led to him being taken into custody on suspicion of having been driving while under the influence. Hays was transported to the St. Mary Medical Center where samples of his blood were obtained for analysis. He was then taken to police headquarters and processed before being released. Charges relating to DUI are pending the lab report.

Monday, Nov. 11

THEFT - Building 21 at Bennett Place. The victim reported the theft of a black 60-year-old wrought iron fish tank stand with a gray granite top from next to his front door. The stand had an estimated value of $100. Continued...

The rest is here:
NORTHAMPTON TOWNSHIP POLICE REPORT: Home burglarized on Magnolia Drive, thieves make off with copper wiring from power ...

Nobody was injured in an early morning fire in a Santa Maria mobile home, but Santa Barbara County Fire Capt. David Sadecki said the cause was pretty typical for this time of year.

A space heater overloaded the wiring inside the wall of the home just after 6:30 a.m. and caused a fire that awoke the three people in the Cherry Hills Road home. All three residents escaped safely and firefighters contained the fire to the wall where it started, but Sadecki said it was an incident all too familiar.

This is the second fire in four days that is directly related to a space heater. So we urge people to use caution when using space heaters because they draw a lot of amperage on the electrical system of your home, he said. If it doesnt trip the breaker it can do a lot of damage to the wiring of your house.

A house fire Friday night in Orcutt was also blamed on overloaded electrical outlets.

County fire has issued several warnings already this year to alert residents to the dangers associated with home heating systems. Among them are:

Read the original:
No injuries in second space heater fire

MEDFORD, Ore. A family returned home last night from shopping to find smoke billowing out of their home. When they opened the door, it was their Christmas tree that had caught fire and the flames were quickly climbing to the ceiling. The family closed the door and called 911. It happened around 7:30 P.M. on the 700 block of Nita Lynne in Medford. Medford Fire crews responded and quickly extinguished the flames. No civilians or firefighters were injured.

Three fire engines and a Battalion Chief from Medford Fire-Rescue and one fire engine and the Battalion Chief from Jackson County Fire District 3 were dispatched to the scene. Medford Fire Investigators determined it was the wiring in a live Christmas tree that started the blaze. The tree was completely engulfed in flames with a hole burned through the floor of the living room.

The family will not be able to live in the home until the damage is repaired, according to Medford Fire-Rescue. Also, in addition to the tree, all the gifts underneath of it were destroyed as well.

Medford Fire-Rescue wants to remind the public that there are fire hazards associated with Christmas trees. They encourage the public to check out their website for tips on how to stay safe this holiday season:http://www.ci.medford.or.us/Page.asp?NavID=1079

Link:
Christmas Tree Ignites; Home is Saved

Steve and Lisa Richardson sorted through the remains Thursday of a Wednesday night fire that heavily damaged their North Bend home.

Lisa Richardson was unsure how much could be salvaged, but she didnt expect to find much on the second floor, were the worst of the damage was.

The upper level had our master bedroom, my home office; all of thats a total loss, she said. The main floor had the kids bedroom, and were able to probably salvage most of their belongings in their bedroom. The furnishings in the living area are not as damaged, but well still have some smoke damage.

Another priority on Thursday was making arrangements for a temporary home. She, her husband and their 10-year-old twin boys stayed with friends Wednesday night after quickly leaving their home of 20 years and calling the fire department when they saw smoke.

Everyone escaped unharmed.

We were at home watching television, she said. I was in the living room with the kids, my husband was watching television in the kitchen. The lights flickered a little bit, we heard some buzzing noise, and then the TV in the kitchen went out.

We thought maybe we had blown a fuse, she continued. My husband checked the fuse box and tried to correct that a couple times. When they didnt stay on, we came up. By that time, as we were coming around the kitchen, there was smoke coming from the upstairs, from the attic area.

We did have smoke detectors, she said. Unfortunately the batteries were not working. It was a matter of four or five minutes from the time we noticed the flicker to the time we saw the smoke. Unfortunately the smoke detectors werent working, but everybody was on alert at that point anyway.

North Bend Fire Chief Kevin Dubbs said his department was called to the home at 641 E. NinthSt. shortly after 8 p.m.

On arrival we had visible flames coming from the back of the house under the eaves and smoke coming from the eavesover the back door area, Dubbs said.

See more here:
Fire damages home in North Bend

UPDATED 11:40 P.M Nobody was injured in an early morning fire in a Santa Maria mobile home, but Santa Barbara County Fire Capt. David Sadecki said the cause was pretty typical for this time of year.

A space heater overloaded the wiring inside the wall of the home just after 6:30 a.m. and caused a fire that awoke the three people in the Cherry Hills Road home. All three residents escaped safely and firefighters contained the fire to the wall where it started, but Sadecki said it was an incident all too familiar.

This is the second fire in four days that is directly related to a space heater. So we urge people to use caution when using space heaters because they draw a lot of amperage on the electrical system of your home, he said. If it doesnt trip the breaker it can do a lot of damage to the wiring of your house.

A house fire Friday night in Orcutt was also blamed on overloaded electrical outlets.

County fire has issued several warnings already this year to alert residents to the dangers associated with home heating systems. Among them are:

Follow this link:
No injuries in second Santa Maria space heater fire

Structured Wiring / Future Wiring a Smart Home Information on Future Wiring a Smart Home: Cable, internet, phone, speakers, home theater, alarm/surveillance, home automation... Help on planning, running wires, selecting parts & tools, and building a wiring panel Structured Wiring Basics - High level overview for wiring your home. Types of Wires - Review of the different types of wires you might want to run through the wall or use in your entertainment system. Structured Wiring Plan - Steps to create a wiring plan before you begin with some different ideas on what you might want to do. Sample Projects - Some example wiring plans using different methods to display the information with write-ups of what was done and why Wiring Project Parts Guide - If you are fortunate enough to be able to wire your home while it is still under construction, you will want to make sure you don't forget anything before you drive out to your new home. How to Wire Your Home - How to run wires in the wall, floor, and ceiling of your home before the drywall has been placed. Wiring Existing Homes - Different methods on how to run wires between rooms for your existing home, with diagrams and examples. Terminating Wall Plates - Put the finishing touches on the outlets in each room. The Wiring Panel - The heart of the Structured Wiring Plan, where all wire runs should begin. Wire Conversions - Information on how some wire types can be converted into something different. Useful if your component inputs don't match your outputs. Home Theater Setup - TV & Speaker placement considerations and wiring options for your home theater system. Alarm Systems - Introduction to Planning and Installing your own Security System. Alarm Components - What are the different components that make up a Security System, from sensors to keypads to the main panel. Planning an Alarm System - Some options with examples on choosing how to make use of the available "zones" in your alarm panel. Tamper Proof Wiring - Understanding the different methods that can be used to bypass an alarm will help you understand some of the wiring conventions used in alarm systems. Wiring an Alarm System - How do wire the different types of powered and non-powered using Normally Open / Normally Closed circuits with and without End of Line Resistors. Sample DSC Alarm - Pictures and Wiring Plans for every necessary component to wire a DSC Power 864 Security System. Programming the Alarm - How to setup the zones, activation codes, and other considerations after your alarm system is wired and ready. Alarm Testing/Maintenance - Testing the alarm system after installation and regular maintenance that should be performed. Wireless Alarms - What you need to know for partial or completely wireless alarm installations. Home Automation - Information on automating your home, including remotes, sensors, lighting... Disclaimer The information on this site is provided free of charge. All information provided on this web site is provided 'AS IS'. No guarantee is provided for the accuracy of the information or the application of the information provided herein. I accept no responsibility or liability with regards to the accuracy or currency of the information provided. By using, reading or accessing this web site, you agree to be the user of the information provided. The user accepts full responsibility for all information provided. Although I try to keep the information on this site as accurate as possible, there is no guarantee that my reference materials or the material on this site is correct. This information is provided for reference purposes only! The technical information listed here are for general applications only. When in doubt, always seek the help of a professional! Always consult your local building codes for the most accurate information regarding wiring and electrical codes. All counties and cities have their own building codes which will vary slightly. This web site only addresses some of the most common building codes. Please note that improper wiring could cause you to fail a home inspection, prevent you from selling your home, or even cause a fire.

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Structured Wiring / Future Wiring a Smart Home

What You Will Be Doing

This primer will help you discover how easy it is for you as a do-it-yourselfer to work with the 110/120 volt electrical system found in your own home. 110/120 volt is relatively simple to wire and connect and does not require a lot of special equipment or handling.

Electricity can be an intimidating concept for many because of the potential danger. You can virtually eliminate that danger with a little knowledge and proper safety practices. However, regardless of how much knowledge you have, never become lax in dealing with an electrical system, or it can be deadly.

The information in this section is meant to give you an understanding of several common electrical situations that you might encounter. Because of the many options and variations in this area, it is not intended to be a complete guide to electrical work. Never take chances with electrical work. If you feel you need more information, consult an electrician or a more detailed reference book. If you plan any extensive electrical work, or to evaluate the condition of an older electrical system, I recommend you seek a professional.

Safety is of utmost importance when working with electricity. Develop safe work habits and stick to them. Be very careful with electricity. It may be invisible, but it can be dangerous if not understood and respected.

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Home Wiring 1 - Introduction | DoItYourself.com