EL SEGUNDO HERALD November 28, 2019 Page 3
Fire Safety Corner
Thanksgiving Fire Safety
By James Carver
Happy Thanksgiving! Today is a holiday
with family and friends, watching the Macy’s
Parade and some football, having a Thanksgiving
dinner with turkey, potatoes, and the
stuffing. But what about the turkey? Are
you deep frying it? Oh, a deep fried turkey
is great and rather tasty, but improperly done,
a mismanaged deep fried turkey can destroy
your house and holiday. Some fire dangers
associated with deep frying a turkey include:
• Units can easily tip over, spilling hot cooking
oil over a large area.
• An overfilled cooking pot or partially frozen
turkey will cause cooking oil to spill when
the turkey is inserted.
• A small amount of cooking oil coming
into contact with the burner can cause a
large fire.
• Without thermostat controls, deep fryers
have the potential to overheat the oil to
the point of combustion.
• The sides of the cooking pot, lid and pot
handles can get dangerously hot, creating
severe burn hazards.
The El Segundo Fire Department wants
you to be fire safe and have an enjoyable
Thanksgiving. Some safety precautions you
can take if deep-frying a turkey include:
• Fryers should always be used outdoors, on
a solid level surface a safe distance from
buildings and flammable materials.
• Never use a fryer on a wooden deck, under
a patio cover, in a garage or enclosed space.
• Do not overfill the fryer, always read and
follow the instructions.
• Make sure the turkey is completely thawed
before it is placed in a fryer.
• Never leave the fryer unattended because,
without thermostat controls, the oil will
continue to heat until it catches fire.
• Never let children or pets near the fryer
when in use or after use as the oil can
remain hot for hours.
• When putting the turkey in or taking it out
of the fryer, use well-insulated potholders
or oven mitts and wear long sleeves and
safety goggles to protect your eyes from
oil splatter.
• Keep an all-purpose fire extinguisher nearby.
As with any fire, please call 9-1-1 immediately
if a turkey fryer fire occurs.
Other hazards to attend to include to not
use frayed or repaired extension cords and
if you are using extension cords, do not
overload the electrical outlet and do not run
extension cords in walkways to help prevent
falls. If using a portable electric heater make
sure it is a listed unit, has a tip over shut
off switch and keep the heater at least 3
feet from nearby combustibles. Never use a
fuel fired portable heater or hibachi indoors.
Again this year, the El Segundo Fire Department,
with fire departments throughout
the Southland, is participating in the Spark
of Love Toy Drive. We collect toys and
sport equipment and distribute to non-profit
organizations to help provide a happier holiday
for a deserving child. You can bring your
new, unwrapped toy or sport equipment to
Fire Station 1 during normal business hours
until December 17th. •
Local Robotics Team Builds New
Friendships at International Meet
By Rob McCarthy
The newest youth sport doesn’t require a
bat, a ball or involve much running. However,
boys and girls on local robotics teams are in
a league of their own.
Robotics is described as a new sport for
young minds. Leagues and teams are popping
up around Southern California, and winning
requires the same dedication to training,
mechanics and teamwork that propels elite
South Bay athletes and championship teams.
A robotics team from the South Bay recently
made a huge impression in China.
Three boys from South LA Robotics,
based in Inglewood, were the lone U.S.
representatives at the World Education
Robotics competition held in the coastal city
of Rizhou. The Chinese translation for Rizhou
is “sunshine,” and the trio of Donald Beatty,
Edgar Elias and Erick Arias shone brightly
during the two days of competition.
The club’s founder and organizer, Jennifer
Lashley, accompanies the boys and their
parents to the competition where the South
LA team won a first prize for their mechanical
and programming skills -- both of which they
learned over the summer and in weekly meetups
at the club’s Inglewood classroom. They
faced high school teams from provinces all
over China, South Korea, the Philippines and
the United Kingdom, according to Lashley.
The sport of robotics resembles NASCAR
because there’s a driver, a crew chief and the
mechanic. The South LA team went into the
China competition knowing the judges would
ask them and their machine to demonstrate
four tasks on the first day. On Day 2, each
team received three surprise tasks and two
hours to program and improve their droids.
They have to make changes to their robots
to increase strength or flexibility to perform it
and then they create the coding for the robot
to cooperate, explains Lashley, who started
the South Bay club last summer because
robotics is a practical way to apply STEM
skills taught in schools. STEM stands for
science, technology, engineering and math.
”The only way you’re going to get to know
this stuff is to do it every day and apply it,”
said Lashley who ran a STEAM lab for two
years with the Los Angeles Unified School
District. Her club has grown to 30 members,
and includes boys and girls ages 6 to 17.
Robotics clubs have formed at El Segundo,
Inglewood and Hawthorne high schools and
those teams compete in a Southern California
league. The First Tech Challenge leagues, or
FTC, hold four local meets per year. Each
team builds a robot, or bot, that weighs up
to 125 pounds from parts bought or donated
by tech companies that sponsor the league.
The competitions put a high value on
design, building skills, coding and project
management. The entry fee for FTC teams
is $300 per season, which is now underway.
El Segundo has two teams in the A1 League,
both comprised of students from the Vistamar
School. There are 16 teams from the South
Bay to Ventura County in the A1 Marlborough
League, including West High in Torrance.
Two squads each from Inglewood and
Morningside high schools compete in the B
Division. City Honors College Prep School
See Robotics, page 11
Burkley Brandlin
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Calendar of Events
Deadline for Calendar items is the prior
Thursday by noon. Calendar items are $1
per word up to 25 words. Email listings to
marketing@heraldpublications.com. We accept
Visa and MasterCard.
• Bring new toys and non-perishable food
items to the El Segundo Fire Dept. Station
No. 1, located at 314 Main Street. Show
some love and help someone less fortunate
this holiday season.
THURSDAY, NOV. 28
• HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!
• Thanksgiving Break: NO SCHOOL for
ESUSD Students
• El Segundo Public Library and City Hall
Closed – due to the Holiday
FRIDAY, NOV. 29
• Thanksgiving Break: NO SCHOOL for
ESUSD Students
• El Segundo Public Library Closed due to
the Holiday
• Bingo, 1:00 PM. - 3:00 PM., 50 Plus, $3.00
minimum, Senior Club of El Segundo, 339
Sheldon Street
SATURDAY, NOV. 30
• Saturday Night Dance, 7:00 PM. – 9:45
PM., Cost: $5.00 Per Person, Adults
of all Ages Welcome, Senior Club of
El Segundo, 339 Sheldon St., Call: 310-
524-2705.
SUNDAY, DEC. 1
• B r i d g e & P i n o c h l e G r o u p s , 1 1 : 3 0
AM. – 3:45 PM, Senior Club of El Segundo,
339 Sheldon St., Call Pam at: 310-318-2856.
MONDAY, DEC. 2
• Canasta Group, 11:30 AM. – 3:00 PM., 50
Plus, Free, Senior Club of El Segundo, 339
Sheldon St., Call Pam at: 310-318-2856.
• Genealogy Club, 11:00 AM. – 12:00 PM.,
El Segundo Public Library, 111 W. Mariposa
Ave., Call: 310-524-2728.
TUESDAY, DEC. 3
• Pinochle, 11:30 AM. – 3:30 PM., Senior
Club of El Segundo, 339 Sheldon St., Call
Pam at: 310-318-2856.
• City Council Meeting, 6:00 PM., City Hall,
350 Main Street, Call: 310-524-2306.
• El Segundo Kiwanis Club Meeting, 12:10
PM., The Lakes at El Segundo, Contact:
elsegundokiwanis.org.
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 4
• CSS Story Pirates Family Night, 6:00 PM. –
8:00 PM., Center Street School, 700 Center
Street, Call: 310-615-2676.
• Bowling, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM, 50 Plus,
Senior Club of El Segundo, Gable House
Bowl, 22501 Hawthorne Blvd., Torrance,
Cost: $8.50 for 3 games, Call Joyce at:
310-322-7621.
THURSDAY, DEC. 5
• Holiday Tree Lighting, 3:00 PM. – 7:00
PM., (5:30 PM., is the tree lighting) City
Hall Plaza, 350 Main St., Come and see
Santa and receive a free toy from Mattel!,
Downtown El Segundo.
• El Segundo Certified Farmer’s Market, 3:00
PM. – 7:00 PM., located on Main Street,
Downtown El Segundo.
• Martinis & Mistletoe Holiday Mixer, 5:30 PM.
– 7:30 PM., Citizens Business Bank, 275 Main
Street, Tickets are $5 for Chamber Members,
$10 for Non Members, For More Info or to
donate a raffle prize, Call: 310-322-1220.
• El Segundo Historical Committee Meeting,
7:00 PM. – 8:00 PM., El Segundo Public
Library, 111 W. Mariposa Ave., Call Sari:
310-364-0117.
UPCOMING EVENTS: DEC 6TH AND 7TH
• Friends of the El Segundo Public Library
Book Sale, 10:00 AM. – 4:30 PM., Books
for sale including children’s, young adult’s,
holiday, fiction, non-fiction, cooking, CDs,
DVDs. Very low prices! Priced to move! El
Segundo Public Library, 111 W Mariposa
Ave, Call: 310-524-2728. •
Spark of Love Campaign:
11-18-19 to 12-17-19
BUY.SELL.TRADE
GET 2
FREE
VINYL RECORDS
FOR EVERY $50 YOU SPEND
THIS BLACK FRIDAY WEEKEND!
Friday 11/29 - Sunday 12/01 • 9am - 5:30pm
YOUR STOP HOLIDAY SHOP
150,000 Vintage Vinyl Records
Including Jazz, Rock, R&B And Much More!
U-Turn Audio, Crosley And Vintage Turntables
Studio Antiques Vinyl Records & Books
337 Richmond Street, El Segundo
310-322-3895
1
1 Large Pizza
$8.99
with 1 Topping
310-335-6070
+tax
M-F 10:00 am - 10:00 pm
Sat 11:00 am - 10:00 pm
MENTION COUPON WHEN ORDERING
We deliver
100 W. Imperial Ave. #B, El Segundo
Herald Publications
will be Closed on
Thursday, November 28
and Friday, November 29.
Have a wonderful
Thanksgiving.