– Coastal Radio – Florence Oregon News

Cyber ​​attack exercises

Recent cyberattacks on established businesses across the country have raised concerns among those who could be catastrophic if they were attacked. That’s why PeaceHealth Network, including Peace Harbor Medical Center, conducted cyberattack drills last week at our local hospital and across the system. Shaina Hogan, a member of the Vancouver IT team that helped conduct the drills, says a health system in California was alerted to the potential problems three years ago.

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“We heard from inside the chaos that was happening and our leaders in the system office here asked us, ‘Are we ready to care for our patients safely if PeaceHealth were to suffer a cyberattack?’”

It was a question that couldn’t be fully answered without a test. A cyber attack would affect all the records, the writing of orders, the preparation of surgeries and the payroll for those who continue to work. Ruth Franke, Chief Nursing Officer at Peace Harbor, said it was a re-education in old school practices. She said they didn’t leave out any scenario.

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“Where do we keep these paper charts? How do we teach our caregivers to fill them out? Look at those gaps so that it’s clear that education needs to be designed in a way that’s fun and interactive, but also great for them to learn.”

Franke said the exercise was a success and the team conducting the exercise was very impressed with the response from Peace Harbor personnel.

Fireworks rules

Two separate wildfires that occurred in Lane County in 2021 prompted the Lane County Board of Commissioners that year to pass an ordinance banning the use of all fireworks when the state forest ranger declares “fire season.” Devon Ashbridge with Lane County says the Sweet Creek Fire near Mapleton and the devastating Holiday Farm Fire that year prompted the restrictions.

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“A recognition of the damage that bushfires can cause to our community and the realisation that while the Holiday Farm fire was not caused by fireworks, the vast majority of fires that are are caused by people.”

This is the first year since the ban went into effect that fire season has been declared before July 4, so officials want to make sure everyone is aware of the ban. It applies only to unincorporated areas and does not apply within the incorporated city limits of Florence or Dunes City. Other than areas in and around Old Town, there are no restrictions in Florence or Dunes City. She says residents who conduct themselves in a lawful and safe manner are appreciated, but she asks:

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“9-1-1 is really for those emergencies that involve life safety or an immediate threat to property, so we encourage people to report to their local law enforcement agencies’ non-emergency numbers.”

That way, she says, calls can be routed and processed without delaying real emergencies.

Fire concerns

Man-made fires are also a concern, and with temperatures soaring around Oregon, with temperatures reaching or exceeding 102 degrees just a few miles from Florence in Mapleton, firefighters are on high alert. In a recent briefing on wildfires, the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center said their immediate focus is the Fourth of July holiday. The agency’s Carol Connolly says they can’t prevent naturally occurring wildfires, but that’s not always their biggest concern.

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“Most of the fires in 2024 will be caused by people, so we are doing everything we can to reduce the risk of those large, catastrophic, preventable fires occurring.”

According to the National Weather Service, Mapleton is under an extreme heat warning starting tomorrow through the weekend.