Rice County law enforcement agencies have been conducting their annual wave of holiday DWI enforcement, which culminates this weekend for the New Year holiday. The campaign, which is part of a larger statewide effort, began just before Thanksgiving and will continue through Monday.
The added enforcement, paid for with a grant from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety to Rice County law enforcement agencies, puts additional officers on the road looking for drivers impaired by any substance, including cannabis. Though legal to use and possess, driving under its influence remains illegal, and Northfield Chief of Police Mark Elliott noted that his department now has two officers who have undergone Drug Recognition training with more to come.
Elliott said the point of the initiative is to force people to plan ahead, and on a night like New Year’s Eve, it is even more important to plan ahead in the name of public safety.
“Around the holidays, we frequently have what we call impaired driving waves. So, we’ll be out with extra patrols looking for folks who are driving impaired. We just want everyone to have a plan before they go out. How are they going to get home safely? We don’t want folks driving impaired, so you’ll see that extra enforcement. We’ll be out trying to keep everybody safe.”
Rice County Sheriff Jesse Thomas echoed Chief Elliott’s thoughts on the matter, and added some suggestions for not just making a plan, but sticking to it, as well.
“I think that the best way to avoid driving from a bar or a party at a friend’s house is to get a ride there versus driving your vehicle. After a couple beverages, you know, you don’t always think clearly and you think you’re okay to drive, so you get in the car. If that vehicle is not there, then you don’t have that option.”
2023 has been a particularly deadly year in Rice County. The 12 traffic deaths this year are the most since 2008.
A statement issued by Rice County said, while the number of traffic deaths in Rice County this year is troubling, the state has seen a 32% reduction in traffic fatalities between 2003 and 2022, due in part to the Toward Zero Deaths traffic safety program and the efforts of coalitions like Rice County’s, which are working to create a culture of traffic safety.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Northfield Chief of Police Mark Elliott can be heard here
Check your smoke and CO detectors
Northfield Area Fire and Rescue Service Chief Tom Nelson has spent the better part of 2023 working on fire prevention programs and making sure everyone in the Northfield area is up to speed on fire codes and good practices.
Since taking the reins as chief, first on an interim basis in early 2022 before being named permanent chief earlier this year, Nelson has reconstructed the department’s command roles, delegating authority to two assistant chiefs and four captains. The prevention responsibilities of his job have been a focus, because, as the first full-time chief the department has ever had, and with other duties handed off, there is now time to do the work.
Nelson said the most common place a house fire will start is in the kitchen, and he has urged people to use extra caution and create a plan specific for dealing with fires that begin there. And while the kitchen is the most common place for a fire to start, he said most of the fatal fires come from unattended smoking, and he advised anyone who smokes to be very careful
Another common mistake that can lead to severe tragedy is the storing of propane tanks in a garage, especially over the winter. The valve on a tank can leak, or it could get bumped which will cause propane to build up in the garage, presenting an extremely dangerous situation. And should there be a fire in the house, the last thing firefighters want to see is a propane tank stored inside.
Nelson has also spent quite a bit of time talking with people about their smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Everyone should check the batteries at least twice a year, he said, and it is just as important to be mindful of the age of their devices. Smoke and CO Detectors have a shelf life of ten years and should be replaced when that time runs out. Nelson said replacing them is not as difficult as it sounds, even the ones that are hardwired and networked throughout a house.
“With a lot of them, if you purchase the same brand, that little pigtail that’s wired in is plug and play. So, yes, you have to get a ladder and you have to get batteries, but they don’t require either electrical knowledge or calling in a subcontractor. Find out what they are and just get them replaced.”
Nelson said a good rule of thumb is to check the batteries when daylight savings time begins and ends, and the holidays are an excellent time to check the dates on the backs of the detectors.
“Let’s all be proactive and ask ourselves where our carbon monoxide detectors are. Find them and look at the date. If it turns out that they’re 9 years old, in another they’re going to start going off in another four months – and it’s always at midnight or two in the morning. And so, I really challenge people, especially now between Christmas and New Year’s. You don’t have anything else going on. Pull those smoke alarms down and look at the back. They’ll have a date on them, and if they’re at or near 10 years old or more, replace them.”
He said one of the department’s goals this year is to cut down on unwanted and unneeded calls, and replacing those detectors will go a long way to meeting that goal.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Tom Nelson can be heard here
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
