Walsh Photo)
Fall Fair Association
recently presented the
Back Mountain Mobile
Intensive Care Unit with
two Motorola HT 440
radios for use outside the
vehicle. The new radios
are smaller and easier to
handle than those pre-
viously used by unit
personnel. They are also
stronger and transmit and
receive across the Valley.
An example of the
portable radio power is
the ability to com-
| municate from the inside
of MICU’s building space,
{ Route 118, Lehman, to the
Luzerne County Com-
munications Center,
served by an antenna on
Valley Crest building,
Plains Township.
The radios were pur-
chased at a cost of close to
$1000 each. They replace
three which were a part of
the unit’s original equip-
ment.
MICU, under the
direction = of interim
coordinator, Ann
Rowlands, has also been
working very hard on
improving service to the
community. Rowlands
noted it is presently in
operation manned ap-
proximately 80 percent of
the time, Wednesday
through Friday of each
week. Around the clock
manning is available on at
least three days each
week with weekend
coverage up as well. The
hours between 4 and 6
p.m. still pose a problem
in terms of coverage.
During the month of
December, the unit
responded to 32 calls.
In order to increase
communication between
the unit and the 13 local
ambulance associations it
serves, a newslettrer is
published periodically.
The newsletter is geared
toward obtaining feed-
back from local am-
bulance personnel, as it
contains questions for
their consideration and an
invitation to visit MICU
headquarters in the Back
Mountain Medical Center.
The newsletter is also sent
to area hospitals, the
Emergency Management
Service, Fall Fair and
other interested parties.
Fall Fair has main-
tained active par-
ticipation in the growth
and progress of the
paramedic unit
throughout the five years
‘of its existence. The re-
cent formation of a
citizens ‘committee to
oversee operations of the
MICU in no way reflects a
lack of interest by the
parent organization. It is
considered a more effect-
ive means of managing
the unit in the best in-
terest of the community.
With the purchase of the
radios, Fall Fair has
proven its determination
to provide the most ef-
ficient and effective life-
support system possible
in the Back Mountain.
“I was thrilled when I
was notified I had been
selected as ‘Nurse of
Hope’ for 1983,” said
Mary Simons of Dallas. ‘‘I
don’t know just what my
responsibilities will be but
I will love every bit of it
during the year.”
Mrs. Simons recently
was named ‘Nurse of
Hope’ by the Wyoming
Valley Chapter,
American Cancer Society,
based on her interest and
ancer patients. She was
applicants by a panel of
four members of the
American Cancer Society.
The competition was
or R.N., and took place at
Kirby Health Center,
Wilkes-Barre. Following
an interview by the four
judges, each applicant
had to deliver a two-
minute speech based on
teering to represent the
Mrs. Simons will now
advance to the state
competition at a date and
place to be announced.
The daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. William Bell,
Shavertown, Mrs. Simons
is a native of Kingston but
has resided in Dallas for
the past 16 years. She has
a son, John, living in
Connecticut; daughter,
Susan, who resides in
Orange; and a daughter,
Gail Wyberski, in King-
ston.
She received her degree
in applied sciences from
Luzerne County Com-
munity College with a
major in nursing. Now an
R.N. at the V.A. Medical
Center, Mary was em-
ployed for nine years as a
V.A., before earning her
degree.
Mary does volunteer
work for the Hospice St.
John, usually several
mornings each week. She
enjoys working at all
kinds of crafts and makes
various items for her
home.
Mary’s face lights up as
she speaks enthusiasti-
cally about representing
the local Cancer Chapter
as Nurse of Hope for the
year 1983. ‘‘I can’t think of
anything I would rather
do,” she told the Post.
As of Jan. 1, the ill and
disabled are able to vote
more easily with im-
plementation of a new
absentee balloting law.
Previously, ill or dis-
abled applicants for an
absentee ballot had to
produce a physician’s
signature. This meant
they had to schedule a
doctor’s appointment in
order to vote.
The theory used by
supporters of the law
change was that those
who could get to a doctor’s
office were also able to
come to the polls. For
others, however, getting
to a doctor was often
expensive and time-
consuming.
Supporters also
believed the old system
circumvented a basic
Constitutional right - the
right to vote. Require-
ment of a physician's
signature was seen as an
indirect poll tax.
To be eligible for an
absentee ballot, the new
law requires only the
name, office address and
telephone number of the
voter’s attending
physician. Any questions
the election board may
have concerning the
validity of the ballot will
be addressed to the
physician. Supporters
hope the changes will
encourage more people to
cast their ballots.
Other election changes
implemented for 1983
include an increase of $10
to the maximum com-
pensation allowed for
election officers.
Individual county boards
of elections continue to
determine the actual
amount paid but they may
now go as high as $70 for
Judges of Elections and
$65 for inspector, clerks
and machine operators.
Certain eligibility
restrictions for these
positions have been
eliminated, making more
them. This legislation is
geared to making it easier
for local election boards
to staff the polls, insuring
more efficient voting for
the populace.
Both Lake-Lehman and
Dallas’ School Districts
have been commended by
Education Secretary
Robert Scanlon on being
designated pre-registered
school districts in Penn-
sylvania’s School
Improvement Initiative.
Both districts recently
completed development
of their long-range plans
which outline the methods
of increasing student
Pa. Dept. of Tran-
sportation and the Pa.
State Police garage
supervisors will conduct a
seminar for all area state
inspection mechanics to
review the new state
inspection manual. The
meeting will be held Feb.
achievement over the
next five years. The plan-
ning method is the first
phase of the School
Improvement Initiative.
“As the schools imple-
ment and evaluate their
PDE: approved long-range
plans to make ‘Every
School a Good School’ in
their districts,” Scanlon
said, in letters to M.
David Preston and
Richard A. Shipe, district
superintendents, ‘‘the
2 and 3 at Wilkes-Barre
Area Vocational Techni-
cal School, Jumper Road,
Plains.
Inspection mechanics
department will continue
to offer technical assist-
ance and be a partner in
these efforts and ac-
tivities.”
Scanlon congratulated
the superintendents, the
districts’ boards, staff,
students and ‘‘entire
school communities’ for
their ‘‘continuing com-
mitment to quality educa-
tion through School
Improvement.”
Designation as a ‘pre-
attend on Feb. 3.
Both meetings will start
promptly at 7:30 p.m. A
representative from the
state inspection division
of PennDOT will conduct
this meeting, along with
State Police
supervisors.
registered district”’
means the Department
has accepted the district’s
Long-Range Plan for
School Improvement.
Once the plan has been
carried out and the results
of planned activities re-
viewed by local school
officials and the depart-
ment, a district can
request to be registered
as a School Improvement
District.
This meeting will be
held on two nights to allow
ample time for a question
and answer period.
For further informa-
tion, please contact your
State Police = garage
Supervisor.
Local
Nine Back Mountain
police officers are pre-
sently receiving training
on the use of the com-
munity’s latest deterrent
to drunk driving, the
Toximeter 3000. The men
are taking 12 hours of
training on use and
another eight hours on
maintenance of the
computerized breath
tester. Those receiving
the schooling include
Kingston Township Chief
Paul Sabol and officerss
Gary Beisel, Walter Davis
and Robert Jolley; Dallas
Township Chief Carl
Miers and officer Clark
Van Ordern;
Borough Chief Ed Lyons
and officer Sev Newberry.
All nine have previously
concluded a 40-hour
course at State Police
Training Center on the
breathalizer system.
This week’s schooling is
taking place at the
Kingston Township Police
Station where the Intoxi-
meter is housed. The $4500
computer is the most up-
to-date device for testing
alcohol levels in the blood
Istream and is expected to
facilitate enforcement of
the newly passed drunk
driving law. The machine
is produced by Intoxi-
meters Inc. of St. Louis,
Mo. Back Mountain is the
first community in
Luzerne County and one
of only five in the Com-
monwealth to have the
computerized breath
tester.
Locally, law enforce-
ment personnel are quite
proud of the Intoximeter.
They boast of its ability to
store up to 60 or 70 tests
results and return in-
formation on any one
within seconds of a
printed request. They also
note the ability of its
powerful batteries to
of a power failure. Fur-
ther, the machine con-
tains a phone module
option which allows for
mechanical problems to
be assessed by a com-
puter in California,
simply by hooking a
telephone to the module
and dialing an 800 num-
ber.
The Intoximeter looks
like a large typewriter.
However, a hose attached
to its side is used by a
suspected drunk driver.
The machine registers
accurate alcohol readings
unaffected by external
forces. Three copies of the
analyzer while a memory
of the transaction is
stored for future
reference.
Under guidelines laid
down with the newly ef-
fective drunk driving
legislation, a driver is
considered legally drunk
is his blood alcohol count
is .10. A law enforcement
person can, however,
make an arrest on a
reading of .05.
HOW DOESIT WORK?
By the end of the week
when training’ concludes,
Back Mountain police will
be experts in the field.
They are being taught by
Chuck Roberts, private
consultant, and one of
three persons in the state
qualified to instruct
others on the Intoximeter.
The new machine joins
the police fingerprinting
and photo processing
remodeled addition to the
Kingston Tov chip police
office. It eliminates the
need. for traveling to
Wyoming State Police
Barracks to perform
breath-testing. Local
police believe it will
greatly facilitate their job
and allow them to
prosecute drunk driving
cases with more accuracy
and efficiency.