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Show T H E O N E T H A T R E A D The Spanish Fork News J L L VOL. 4 / NO. 13 O C A L L Y O W N E D A N D O P WEDNESDAY, E R A APRIL T E 1 ,D2009 50?f SPANISH FORK. UTAH Lindsay B. Wolsey / Spanish Fork News MAPPING THE FUTURE: Residents give their input on proposed corridor routes for south Utah County. Corridor study open house held at DFJH Jen Allen / Spanish Fork News Lindsay B. Wolsey STAFF W R I T E R FOCUS ON SAFETY: Pictured, left to right, are Dr. Marc Robins, Dr. James Stewart and Ed Helmick. Safety presentation given at SF Airport Jen Allen STAFF WRITER On Thursday, March 26 the Diamond Flight Center held a safety meeting. The topic of the meeting was "Oxygen and the Aviator." Dr. James R. Stewart introduced the key speaker. Dr. Marc S. Robins, from Utah Valley Regional Medical Center. Robins is a retired United States Air Force flight surgeon and private pilot. He has had the opportunity to work in several different positions including his latest adventure in Australia working with their Chief of Defense. Stewart said, "General aviation is commonly thought of as being overly hazardous, but in fact is about the same as driving your car. ... We want to ensure that the community understands that we are serious about flying safely in the skies over Spanish Fork — we live here, too!" Robins presented on what exactly happens within our bodies when the oxygen in the air becomes less saturated. As you rise in altitude, the mixture of what makes up air is the same, but the saturation decreases, leaving less oxygen in the air for breathable use. At 18,000 feet there is barely enough, to sustain the tissues in the lungs. This is why pilots are required to bring oxygen for all those riding with the pilot above certain altitudes. Robins also talked about the amount of useful time or clear consciousness a person would have at different altitudes. At 18,000 feet without any additional oxygen supply, a person might be able to have 20-30 minutes of useful time. At 34,000 feet that significantly decreases to around 30-60 seconds of useful time while at 48.000 feet there would be anywhere from 9-12 seconds of clear consciousness. This is why any aviator needs to have oxygen available. Hypoxia has four stages. The first is indifference to surroundings; second is compensatory, meaning the body starts trying to compensate for the lack of oxygen; third is disturbance or being aggravated by the slightest task; and the final stage is the critical shut down or unconsciousness. Another situation that can occur to aviators during flight is carbon monoxide poisoning. Robins talked at great length about the ways in which mis can be treated. He works for Intermountain Health Care specializing in hyperbaric medicine. He has experience with the chambers used to treat carbon monoxide poisoning, hypoxia as well as altitude decompression See SAFETY • A8 Local mother advocates for FXS in DC Rachael Gibson Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) is the world's leading cause of intellectual disability and the leading known single-gene cause of autism. One in 130 women are carriers of Fragile X Syndrome and also face the possibility of other Fragile X-associated disorders. I am the mother of two children with Fragile X Syndrome. Last week I joined 134 other parents on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC for Fragile X Syndrome Advocacy Day. We took a day to lobby our congressmen and senators for funding for FXS and ask to pass the ABLE Act, a bill that allows parents to save for their disabled children's futures and not be penalized fordoing so. Representative Gregg Harper of Mississippi was a strong advocate for our cause. He has a son with Fragile X Syndrome and made his voice heard on Capitol Hill by publicizing his story of living with FXS. He also recorded a public service announcement that "was aired for the House. Congressman Harp- I Diamond Fork Jr. High was the place to be on Wednesday, March 25. The school was the site of the Provo to Nebo Corridor Study Open House. Judging by the turnout, a lot of residents are concerned about the transportation needs of the future. The purpose of the study is to identify future transportation corridor alignments between Provo and Payson. The current population of south Utah County is around 110,000 and by 2040 is could be as high as 400,000. Residents repeatedly asked if the future road plans were connected to the possible incorporation of Benjamin and the waste water and solid waste transfer stations moving to Palmyra. "Incorporation and waste water are not affiliated with this study," Public Involvement Manager Kim Clark said. 'This is a study for the year 2040. We have the opportunity to set the transportation infrastructure before developments come in. This is so cities and counties can plan proactively for the future." Suellen Heath was responsible for introducing the three corridors being considered by the Mountainland Association of Governments (MAG). "We want to avoid what happened on 800 North in Orem," Heath said. Due to growth, Orem was forced to widen 800 North, disrupting neighborhoods and businesses. After a 10-minute presentation outlining the purpose of the corridor study, attendees moved to the Diamond Fork Jr. High cafetorium where tables were set up for each of the three proposed corridors. The area for the West Connector received three times the traffic of the other two areas. The West Connector will connect Payson to Springville, running through Benjamin, Lake Shore and Palmyra. Concerned residents were encouraged to let MAG know if they felt any adjustments were necessary. Markers were available for attendees who preferred to put their feedback directly on the map. The Spanish Fork Connector will connect Spanish Fork Main Street to Provo. The South Connector will connect Payson to US-6. The South Connector will serve Elk Ridge and Woodland Hills. MAG is still accepting feedback on the study. More information is available at www.provotonebo.com. Sterling Scholar named first runner-up at state Courtesy photo BEING HEARD: Rachael Gibson, right, and other Fragile X advocates met with legislators, including Utah Congressman Jason Chaffetz, to voice their concerns about Fragile X Syndrome. er not only opened his heart to us but also the Capitol for a private tour for all of us there on behalf of FXS. I also learned that our own Senator Orrin Hatch has grandchildren with Fragile X Syndrome. He headed the FSAID bill that FXS advocates lobbied for last year. It did not pass. The ABLE act is an updated form of FSAID. I and two other mothers who are over the Fragile X Association of Utah were able to meet personally with Utah Congressmen Jim Matheson and Jason Chaffetz, who both showed sympathy and interest in our cause. I was impressed with their interest and concern — it made me feel like they were human and that we could make a difference. Too often, as the general public, we believe we cannot make a difference. This last week, I learned we can. For more on Fragile X, see page A7. Congratulations to Michelle Clare. She competed against the top 16 Sterling Scholars from across the state and was named runner-up in the Family and Consumer Science category. With this honor she received a $700 check and a one-year full tuition scholarship to BYU. Michelle is the daughter of David and 5ayne Clare of Salem. Michelle Clare |