Area briefing

SHRED-A-THON SCHEDULED FRIDAY AT THREE VALLEY LOCATIONS

Residents can destroy unwanted sensitive documents during a Shred-A-Thon set for 9 a.m. to noon Friday at three City National Bank sites in the valley.

The second annual event, organized in conjunction with Shred-It, is planned at 10801 W. Charleston Blvd., 8475 S. Eastern Ave. and 4310 W. Cheyenne Ave. and is aimed at helping prevent identity theft.

There is a limit is four boxes per participant. Documents will be destroyed on site.

More than 8.1 million Americans were victims of identity theft last year, organizers said. The average cost per incident was $631, and the amount of time spent correcting the problem was 59 hours.

For more information, visit cnb.com or shredit.com.

LOCAL CELEBRITIES JOIN POLICE TO HELP PROMOTE POOL SAFETY

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department has teamed up with "Peepshow" star Holly Madison and Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter Forrest Griffin to promote pool safety.

Video messages featuring Madison and Griffin were set to be posted on social media sites and air on public television stations.

For more information, visit lvmpd.com or call 828-3111.

AGENCIES SPREAD WORD ABOUT DROWNING PREVENTION

Clark County Commission Chairwoman Susan Brager joined Southern Nevada Child Drowning Prevention Coalition members March 28 at the Henderson Multigenerational Complex, 250 S. Green Valley Parkway, to kick off the annual April Pools Day drowning prevention awareness campaign.

Members of the coalition include the Clark County, Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Henderson and Boulder City fire departments, the Clark County Building Department, pool builders and supply companies, the Safe Kids Coalition, the Southern Nevada Health District, area parks and recreation departments, the American Red Cross of Southern Nevada and other agencies and organizations.

Most drowning victims are 4 or younger, and the majority of drowning deaths occur in the family pool, with 70 percent of incidents occurring between 2 and 8 p.m., officials said.

To help promote safer swimming, Clark County's fire and building departments are sponsors of the Southern Nevada Health District's annual ABC&D's of Drowning Prevention campaign, which emphasizes the need for adult supervision to prevent drownings.

All pools should be surrounded by barriers such as fences, gates, door alarms and covers to protect children, county building department director Ron Lynn said. Tables, chairs and other furniture should be away from pool fences so children can't use them to climb over, he said.

The ABC&D's of Drowning Prevention campaign's drowning-prevention tips include:

An adult who can swim should supervise children around water. Hire a lifeguard for pool parties and social gatherings.

Pool fences should be at least 60 inches high, with precaution taken to prevent children from crawling beneath them.

CPR and swimming classes should be taken by family members.

Devices such as life jackets, personal flotation devices and rescue tools should be available.

RESIDENTS CAN USE SMART PHONE APP, PHONE NUMBERS TO REPORT GRAFFITI

Clark County officials remind residents during Graffiti Awareness Month, observed in April, to report incidents of graffiti around the valley.

Residents could report taggers by calling 311. For incidents in District D, residents also can use the MyDistrictD app, developed by App-Order.com and County Commissioner Lawrence Weekly. Two-thousand District D residents have the app, which allows them to send a picture of the graffiti to Weekly's office, with notes about whether the markings were profane or urgent in some other way, along with the GPS coordinates of the incident. A work order is then created, and the graffiti is quickly covered up, county officials said. Residents who live outside District D can call the graffiti hot line at 455-4509.

Thanks to residents' reports, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department makes an average of 750 graffiti-related arrests each year, officials said.

Graffiti costs Southern Nevada an annual $30 million, according to county officials.

APPLICANTS SOUGHT TO FIGHT WILDFIRES

The Eastern Nevada Agency of the Bureau of Indian Affairs is accepting applications until April 20 for on-call wildland firefighters for the upcoming fire season.

Firefighting hand crews consist of 20 men and women who travel to fires throughout the United States for up to 21 days at a time. They work long hours in remote locations building fire lines to halt the spread of wildfires and conduct cleanups to control wildfires.

Firefighters must be age 18 before June 1 of the current fire season and a U.S. citizen and must pass a drug screening and physical fitness test. The test consists of a three-mile hike on flat ground in 45 minutes or less while carrying a 45-pound pack.

The agency also is accepting applications for camp crew workers for the upcoming fire season.

For more information or to download an application, visit blm.gov/dw5c or contact Spencer Gregory at 775-753-0308.