Safety briefs

Clark County commissioners and county fire department officials were scheduled to recognize firefighters during a ceremony March 29 at Fire Station 33, 865 E. Desert Inn Road.

The awards ceremony was to honor firefighters and a resident who recently went above and beyond the call of duty to save lives.

The scheduled awards and recipients were:

n Citizen Lifesaving Award -- Tim Garcia. A co-worker collapsed in front of Garcia during a business meeting. Garcia administered CPR until firefighters arrived and took over. The patient survived thanks to Garcia's quick action.

n Distinguished Service Award -- Station 12, whose captain is Paul Youdelis, and Station 15, whose captain is Steven Broadwell. The decisive actions of the crews from these stations allowed firefighters to get through heavy smoke in a burning building and enabled them to save a woman who was trapped by smoke and fire.

n Lifesaving Award -- Firefighter Steve De Pue. De Pue was off duty and working in his garage when he heard a neighbor's smoke detector and went to investigate. De Pue found heavy smoke and a fire in the kitchen, which he put out with a fire extinguisher, then helped a woman in the house get outside safely.

n Lifesaving Award -- Firefighter Matt Houchens and Capt. John Borla. Houchens and Borla were off duty and working out at a private gym when another patron collapsed. They used a defibrillator and CPR to save the patient.

Crime Stoppers gets contribution honoring slain cab driver

Crime Stoppers of Nevada recently received a $5,000 boost, courtesy of Frias Transportation Management, in honor of 30-year-old taxi cab driver Tesfaye Arze, who was shot and killed March 4 while on the job.

Crime Stoppers and Lamar Advertising were instrumental in assisting the Metropolitan Police Department with the case.

Frias Transportation Management, a private transportation provider in Nevada, made the contribution to bring attention to the safety issues that face cab drivers and to help Crime Stoppers in its efforts to assist law enforcement agencies to make the community safer for taxi drivers and passengers, said Scott Killebrew, director of security for the company.

The contribution is a prime example of the community partnerships that Crime Stoppers works to develop in order to be an effective tool in assisting law enforcement, said Caroline Ciocca, vice chairwoman of Crime Stoppers of Nevada.

31 recruits join Police Department

A graduation ceremony was planned on March 24 to welcome 31 recruits into the Metropolitan Police Department's ranks.

The ceremony was set at The Orleans showroom, 4500 W. Tropicana Ave.

The new officers were scheduled to fill positions created through attrition, the department said.

Hispanic Citizens Police Academy offered by Las Vegas, North Las Vegas

The Metropolitan and North Las Vegas police departments are teaming up to offer a Hispanic Citizens Academy.

This is the eighth such academy for the Metropolitan Police Department and the first for North Las Vegas' department.

The purpose of the academy is to get Hispanic citizens involved in crime-fighting efforts and allow them to meet officers from both departments. Topics include gang awareness, narcotics, domestic violence, sexual assault prevention and 911/311 procedures.

The first meeting of the academy was March 16 at the Pearson Community Center, 1624 W. Carey Ave. in North Las Vegas.

The academy marks the first time two law enforcement agencies have joined forces for such a cause.

For more information on the program, call the North Las Vegas Police Department at 633-9111 or the Metropolitan Police Department at 828-3111.