PAYSON ROUNDUP LOCAL FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2014
Rabies shots vital after latest reports BY
KEITH MORRIS
Rabies reports
ROUNDUP STAFF REPORTER
Even the possibility of rabies could be a death sentence to your pet if it isn’t up to date on its vaccinations. The issue has gained new urgency in Rim Country following the discovery that a fox that scratched a Pine man had rabies. The presence of rabies in wild animals in the area makes it crucial owners protect their animals. According to law, pets who come in contact with a wild animal and do not have proof of being current on vaccinations, face a sixmonth quarantine at the owner’s expense.The bill could run to thousands of dollars, something many families simply can’t afford. “If they tangle with a wild animal and are not current with rabies vaccinations, it’s up to the discretion of Gila County Rabies Control to quarantine them for up to six months at the owner’s expense in Globe or a veterinary clinic in Payson,” said Alan Hallman, a doctor of veterinary medicine at the Star Valley Veterinary Clinic. “The owner will probably be looking at $3,000-5,000 in boarding costs, so it’s a lot cheaper to get the rabies shot. “If they tangle with an animal that tests positive and they aren’t up on their vaccinations, it may be better to put the animal to sleep and have them tested just so nobody else is exposed to it.” The disease is in the news after the fox in Pine tested positive for rabies. Hallman said the only reliable way to determine if an animal has rabies is to euthanize it and dissect the brain. So exposure to a rabid
The Gila County Health and Emergency Services Department shared the following from the state’s record on rabies cases. 2009: State 280, Gila County 7 2010: State 114, Gila County 2 2011: State 70, Gila County 0 2012: State 60, Gila County 0 2013: State 70, Gila County 5 2014: State 117, Gila County 5 animal “can be a death sentence for animals not vaccinated,” he said. Even if the animal survives a long quarantine, the cost to the owner and isolation of the animal for that amount of time provides great incentive for people to make sure their pets are current on their shots. If a pet has up-todate vaccinations, the quarantine last for only about 10 days. Cats and dogs should receive their first rabies shot between the ages of three and six months, one a year later, and a booster shot every three years after that. “It’s one of our most effective vaccines, that’s why we can go three years,” Hallman said. “And, if they tangle with a wild animal, we recommend a booster.” He said cats get rabies more often than dogs, but horses and sheep can also contract the disease.
“We certainly have our share of rabies in Rim Country, and it seems to run in a cyclical nature,” Hallman said. “It’s carried by coyotes, mountain lions, foxes and javelina. Any mammal can get it, but it’s less likely in rabbits and rodents like squirrels, moles and mice.” According to Wikipedia, rabies is a viral disease that causes acute inflammation of the brain in humans and other warm-blooded animals. Early symptoms can include fever and tingling at the site of exposure. These symptoms are followed by one or more of the following symptoms: violent movements, uncontrolled excitement, fear of water, an inability to move parts of the body, confusion and loss of consciousness. After symptoms appear, rabies almost always results in death. The time period between contracting the disease and the start of symptoms is usually one to three months. However, this time period can vary from less than one week to more than one year. The time period depends on the distance the virus must travel to reach the nervous system. Rabies is transmitted to humans from other animals, usually from scratches or bites. Saliva from an infected animal can also transmit rabies if the saliva comes into contact with a mucous membrane of another animal or human. Most rabies cases in humans are the result of dog bites. In the U.S., bats are the most common cause of rabies and fewer than 5 percent of rabies cases in humans are from dogs. The rabies virus travels to the brain by following the peripheral nerves. The disease can only be diagnosed after the start of symptoms.
Cost sharing spurs Firewise thinning From page 1A The study underscored the impact that both cost sharing and community education can play in promoting Firewise clearing of overgrown brush. In Rim Country, the Tonto National Forest has spent millions thinning overgrown forests on the edge of most communities, but few of the communities themselves have thinned the brush on private property. As a result, even wildfires beyond the cleared barriers can easily set off multiple fires within a community, since a big crown fire can throw embers on homes a full mile from the fireline. The unincorporated communities of Pine and Strawberry have set the pace when it comes to clearing brush on private property. The mostly volunteer committee spearheading the effort with the help of the PineStrawberry Fire Department has worked on a series of firebreak trails and raised money and sought grants to haul away thousands of tons of brush residents have trimmed and left curbside. Similar efforts in Payson have mostly stalled. The Payson Town Council has taken little action to adopt an overhaul of the building code to reduce the chance a wildfire will spread through town, despite the recommendation of the fire department nearly two years ago and the impact of the deaths of the 19 firefighters in Yarnell. The firefighters
were caught in thick brush trying to make their way to the fireline where other crews were making a vain stand against the fire on the outskirts of the unprepared community. The Payson council received briefing books with detailed amendments to the fire code, adapted to Payson conditions from a recommended set of revisions in the International Fire Code. Council members expressed concern about trying to make homeowners clean up their properties and promulgation of new regulations and put off consideration of the fire code changes until spring. Come spring, the council postponed adoption of the recommended changes until later in the year — after the council elections. The proposed changes in the building code would mostly affect future construction or people seeking permits for major additions or remodeling for their properties. The International Code includes things like fireresistant building materials, especially on roofs and porches. So far, the overhaul hasn’t shown up on the council agenda. The town did offer lip service to the establishment of a volunteer Fire Smart Committee, to urge homeowners to voluntarily clean up their own properties. The committee sponsored a poorly attended community education forum about a month ago, but committee members say they don’t have the money to launch an all-out effort and have
received only minimal support from the town. The town does offer free Firewise inspections by the fire department to recommend measures that would greatly reduce that a fire in a nearby house would spread or that embers from a distant wildfire would set off a holocaust in town. Fire inspectors will survey the property and recommend brush and tree clearing plans and point out fire dangers like porches built in a way that embers or approaching flames could get underneath and set the house on fire. However, the town offers no financial assistance for people seeking to clear the brush and excess trees from their property and little public education. Moreover, Gila County has made no move to consider an overhaul of its building codes to reduce the threat of a wildfire spreading through a community. The most endangered communities in Rim Country are generally in unincorporated areas, but the county building codes don’t require fire resistant materials or other key elements of a Firewise building code. The county doesn’t even require subdivisions built in the middle of the thick and overgrown forest to have a fire department. That means a house fire in a community like Deer Creek with no fire protection can easily spread into the surrounding forest, posing a danger to nearby communities — many with little or no fire protection themselves.
Robert (Bob) Brill
Treva Belle Deemer
(1938-2014)
(1932-2014)
Bob is survived by his daughter, Anjanette Jarvis (husband Rich) of Seattle, Wash.; two sons, Robert Brill Jr. (fiancée Holly) of Shreveport, La.; and Michael Brill (wife Sarah) of Everett, Wash.; and twin granddaughters, Stella and Delaney Jarvis of Seattle, Wash. He was employed with the Payson Foxworth for eight years before retiring. He then volunteered for the local St. Vincent De Paul food bank and enjoyed bowling on a local league. A celebration of Bob’s life will be held in Payson, Ariz. in early January.
F O R The following reports and arrests were released by the Payson Police Department and Gila County Sheriff’s Office. All persons listed in this report are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nov. 10 – Steven Craig McAllister, 59, Pine-Strawberry – warrant; Shelby Maud Ahlman, 22, Tonto Basin – driving with a suspended/cancelled/revoked license. Nov. 11 – Charles William Sullivan Jr., 45, Payson – domestic violence, threatening or intimidating (non-UCR)-cause injury or damage property and disorderly conduct-fighting; Paula Michael Press, 18, Payson – warrant Nov. 12 – Male Juvenile, 17 –
T H E
minor in possession of vapor product and furnishing harmful items to minors; Jermey James Bruce Ferguson, 38, Payson/Transient – warrant; Paul Vincent Leneberg, 35, Payson – organized retail theft and felony shoplifting with convicted priors. Nov. 13 – Jose Eduardo Palacios, 20, Phoenix – drug paraphernalia-possession and marijuana-possession; Jaclyn Irene Kay Gagnon, 24, Phoenix – DUI-alcohol, drug, vapor, combination thereof, marijuana-possession and drug paraphernalia-possession; Elizabeth Ann Carollo, 55, Payson – interfering with judicial proceedings-disobeys or resists lawful order; Micki Hubbard, 36, Aztec,
WEATHERREPORT Forecast by the National Weather Service
Friday
PAYSONREPORT
Sunny
73/38 Saturday Sunny
65/37 Sunday Mostly sunny
61/34 Monday Sunny
Weather courtesy of Bruce Rasch, weather.astro50.com
Payson Statistics DATE H L Nov. 17 57 18 Nov. 18 60 21 Nov. 19 61 25 Nov. 20 62 26 Nov. 21 59 30 Nov. 22 63 27 Nov. 23 55 27 Nov. 24 57 19 Nov. 25 58 20 Nov. 26 72 28 Nov. 27 72 30
PRECIP.
Precipitation 63/36
Tuesday Mostly cloudy, slight chance of rain
62/37
2014 thru today 13.37 30-year Average through Nov. 19.82
Nov. 2014 0.00 Nov. Average 1.85
Average Payson Precipitation from the office of the State Climatologist at Arizona State University.
PAYSON POLLEN COUNT FORECAST Saturday
Friday
Sunday
Monday
3.2 3.2 4.2 3.9
LOW-MED
LOW-MED
LOW-MED
LOW-MED
Dominant pollen: Juniper High: Pollen levels between 8.1 and 12.0 tend to affect most individuals who suffer from the pollen types of the season. Symptoms may become more severe during days with high pollen levels. Medium: Pollen levels between 4.1 and 8.0 will likely cause symptoms for many individuals who suffer from allergies to the predominant pollen types of the season. Low: Pollen levels between 0 and 4.0 tend to affect very few individuals among the allergy-suffering public. Source: pollen.com
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Robert (Bob) Brill passed away the morning of Nov. 25 at the age of 76. He was preceded in death by his wife, Shirley Brill, just 24 days before his own passing, on the day before what would have been their 48th wedding anniversary. Bob was born on April 17, 1938 on a farm near Oakshade, Ohio, to Evelyn and Jacob Brill. He moved to Payson, Ariz. in 1992 from the state of Washington. He was a Master Sergeant in the U.S. Army and retired after 22 years of service. His service included two tours in Vietnam. He enjoyed time spent chatting and visiting with former platoon mates that he had reconnected with just recently.
11A
Treva Belle Deemer passed away on Nov. 20, 2014 in Payson, Ariz. at the age of 82. Treva is survived by brother, Claude Thomison; her daughter, LeAnn Candelaria; grandsons, Larry and Leland Candelaria; and greatgranddaughters, Kaylee Foss and Scarlett Candelaria. She is preceded in death by husband, Wilber Deemer; brother, Dean Thomison; sisters, Cleta Good and Carolyn Miller. Treva was born on Aug. 15, 1932 in Caney, Kan. to Henry and Rose Thomison. She graduated from high school in Riverton, Wyo. May 17, 1951. Right away Treva and Wilber knew their love was meant to be and on her high school gradua-
tion day she and Wilber were married after knowing each other for only two weeks. Treva and Wilber lived in Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico due to Wilber’s job in the oil fields. On Oct. 1, 1986 Treva and Wilber retired to Payson where they lived with their daughter and grandsons. Treva Deemer will be deeply missed by all who knew her. Flowers and condolences may be sent to 650 N. Deer Creek Dr., Payson, AZ 85541.
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R E C O R D NM – possession or use of dangerous drugs, possession or use of drug paraphernalia, possession or use of marijuana and a failure to appear warrant; David Spencer, 23, Farmington, NM – possession or use of marijuana and possession or use of drug paraphernalia; Mikie Sena, 31, Aztec, NM – possession or use of dangerous drug, possession or use of marijuana and possession or use of drug paraphernalia. Nov. 14 – Male Juvenile, 15 – minor with alcohol in body, marijuana-possession and drug paraphernalia-possession; Male Juvenile, 15 – minor with alcohol in body; Christopher Cumpton, 44, Payson – warrants; Lyndin Whiterock, 20, Round Valley – disorderly conduct
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Nov. 15 – Ashley Dianne Penney, 25, Goodyear – false reporting to law enforcement agency and shoplifting; Kimberly Marie McCormack, 45, Pine-Strawberry – false reporting to law enforcement agency and shoplifting; Charles Fred Johnson II, 28, Payson – criminal damage-deface or damage property, drug paraphernalia-possession and child support warrant; William Hamel, 60, Rye – warrant; David Landers, 58, Round Valley – domestic violence. Nov. 16 – Rebecca Anne Valenzuela, 49, Tempe – driving with a suspended/cancelled/revoked license; Christi Marie Nystrom, 55, Payson/Transient – criminal trespass-3rd degree-real property.
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