After every annual drill, video-taped exercises are reviewed by training leadership, said Mesa Special Operations Capt. Paul Finley. He said they noticed in the recordings from last year that Level A personnel had detectors around their necks or in their pockets and paid little attention to it.
“They never once looked at the meter,” Finley said. “The meters never gave real-time feedback, which is not how it is in a real incident.”
To enhance training at this year’s drill, Mesa and Phoenix-area hazmat teams faced a one-ton Chlorine cylinder with a liquid leak. The personnel assigned to the recon and the decon teams were armed with HazSim training meters. The meter was used during simulated response by a recon team in the boundaries of the hot zone, Finley said. In decon, the meter was used to clear Level A entry team members before removing suits and also as a tool for facilitators to send an entry team member back to the shower for another wash cycle, he said.
Finley leased the system on a three-month basis for $1,000. And while there was a bit of a learning curve and what he said were “small glitches,” those who used HazSim commented that the device made their assignment in the drill more realistic. In addition, it helped chief leadership drive the actions and the drills from a remote location. He said watching the recon and decon team receive readings on the HazSim, process those readings, and adjust their actions based on the HazSim led to “very realistic training.”
The SmartStick FE02RF-BL was designed to be held horizontally in both hands, leaving both of the user's thumbs free to maneuver around the keyboard and touchpad. The top row of the SmartStick FE02RF-BL features volume and media playback controls, and off to the right side is its integrated touchpad. The left- and right-click buttons, meanwhile, are on the left side. Android hot keys (Home, AppMenu, Back, and Search) are beneath the touchpad, though some their functionality is lost on a PC; the Home button launches your web browser, the AppMenu button functions as a right-click, and the Search button opens your operating system's search tool. The keyboards' lower row features a Windows Start button and two function keys that, among other things, turns the Enter button into a Ctrl+Alt+Delete button.
The rounded edges of the SmartStick FE02RF-BL house a few additional features. In addition to the power button on the left side, the front edge sports a trio of buttons designed with presentations in mind, like Page Up and Page Down buttons that can cycle through PowerPoint slides and, most interestingly, a switch that controls the built-in laser pointer located the right side of the unit. Outside of PowerPoint, the Page Up and Page Down buttons can scroll through websites or documents. What you choose to do with the laser pointer, on the other hand, is entirely up to you, though we don't recommend shining it in yours or anyone else's eyes. Unlike the Lenovo Mini Wireless Keyboard N5901, the SmartStick FE02RF-BL's keyboard is backlit, so users won't have any difficulty typing in the dark.
The underside of the SmartStick FE02RF-BL has a sliding battery compartment that houses its 2.96Wh Li-ion battery, which can be recharged by connecting the unit to your computer via the included USB cable. This compartment also doubles as a storage area for the included USB wireless receiver.
During use, the SmartStick FE02RF-BL's dual-thumb operation felt right at home for anyone who has ever composed a text message on a cell phone. At any rate, the keys offer a comfortable typing feel and a good amount of resistance. However, since the SmartStick FE02RF-BL was designed to be held rather than placed on a flat surface, reaching the middle of the keyboard with one's thumbs is nearly impossible. In order to do so, I needed to slide one of my hands closer to the unit's center, which compromised my thumbs' ability to readily access the touchpad or left- and right- click buttons. For a device whose primary function is typing, this is a considerable design flaw. The touchpad, on the other hand, was responsive and accurate thanks to its slightly textured surface. For users who prefer something other than a touchpad, the Lenovo Mini N5901's trackball is a good alternative.
The Favi Entertainment SmartStick FE02RF-BL ($39.99 list) is a decent compact keyboard that gives users a way to control their home theatre PCs (HTPC) from the comfort of their couch. All said, however, its appeal is undermined by its lack of Bluetooth connectivity and, more significantly, its keyboard's hard-to-reach middle section. For these reasons, the Logitech diNovo Mini continues to retain its Editors' Choice for home entertainment keyboards. Still, the SmartStick FE02RF-BL remains a good choice with plenty of good going for it.
If you have flu-like symptoms, stay home, said Kelly Schermerhon, Catawba County Health Department public information officer. And practice disease prevention measures, such as frequent hand washing, or sneezing and coughing into the crook of your arm.
Area hospitals have put preventive care measures in place to protect against possible spread of the flu in areas where patients are most vulnerable.
“We caution anyone who is experiencing fever, runny nose, or other flu-like symptoms from visiting Frye,” said Dana Killian, Director of Marketing at Frye Regional Medical Center. “These are our usual flu season precautions which are supported by signage and endorsed by health care organizations throughout our region.
“In addition, we do not allow anyone, other than the parents of infants, to come into the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. This added precaution is in place due to the fragile nature of these patients.”
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