DES MOINES, Iowa – Most people in Iowa know that smoke detector installation and testing is important, but according to a recent survey, most are likely mistaken about how much time is needed to safely evacuate a burning home. Research from the American Red Cross shows many people think they have five minutes, but it’s really only two.

Brandon Holstrom, preparedness and recovery manager for the Red Cross in Iowa, says that’s why it’s so important to have a plan. “And we’re looking for an escape plan that is actually practiced,” he stresses. “And most people don’t know that that escape plan needs to be an alternate route, such as windows, maybe the front door, maybe a side door that’s typically not used.”

According to the survey, nearly seven in 10 parents believe their children know what to do if their house catches on fire, but fewer than one in five families with children has actually practiced home fire drills.

Holstrom also explains that the escape plan should also include a place to meet and stay put, such as a nearby tree or the home of a neighbor. “Because that is also a concern that we have is that people re-enter the home after they’ve left it, maybe to get Fido, their favorite dog, or maybe it’s a memory of theirs, a wedding ring or something else,” he explains. “Once you’re out, stay out.”

It’s recommended that smoke detectors be installed in each bedroom and regularly tested. About 2,300 people died in house fires and 13,000 were injured in 2012, according to the National Fire Protection Association.

(Iowa News Service)

Three Pottawattamie County residents were arrested on drug charges this (Monday) morning, in Fremont County. The Sheriff’s Office reports deputies conducted an investigation into the delivery of illegal narcotics that resulted in the arrest of 33-year old Benjamin Franks, 57-year old Joyce Franks, and 51-year old Mark Pike, all of Council Bluffs. Each was charged with Delivery of Methamphetamine.

Benjamin Franks, who was also charged with Possession of Meth, was wanted on warrants out of Council Bluffs and Montgomery County. Mark Pike was also wanted on warrants out of Council Bluffs. Both were being held in the Fremont County Jail on $100,000 cash bond.

Joyce Franks was being held in the Montgomery County Jail, also on $100,000 bond.

The week of Oct. 24th through the 31st is known as “Red Ribbon” week. The Red Ribbon Campaign was started when drug traffickers in Mexico City murdered DEA agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena in 1985. The incident began the continuing tradition of displaying Red Ribbons as a symbol of intolerance towards the use of drugs. The mission of the Red Ribbon Campaign is to present a unified and visible commitment towards the creation of a DRUG-FREE America.

Atlantic Middle School Builder Club (STAND – Students Taking Action Now for a Difference) in collaboration with their school, Kiwanis, Elks Club Drug Awareness Program and KJAN have planned a week of activities and education to students and their families. Fact or Fiction sheets will give middle schoolers information that they can use to answer questions about drug and alcohol use.

Red ribbons will be displayed on the school lawn today (Monday). Informational messages were recorded at KJAN by Builder Club members Codi Russell, Emma Joyce Joyce, Chamilla Colton, Abby Evans and Ethan Simmons. They will be heard throughout the week in Middle School and on KJAN.

The factory in northwest Iowa’s Great Lakes region that produces the popular Indian and Victory lines of motorcycles is now making a new three-wheeled machine called the Slingshot. Chris Doucet, Slingshot’s commercial director at Polaris headquarters in Minneapolis, says the futuristic-looking roadster has two front wheels and one in the back, with an open two-seat cockpit, giving it a sleek appearance. (View the video at http://www.polaris.com/en-us/slingshot )

2015 Polaris Slingshot (Image from Polaris.com)

“You sit in the vehicle, not on the vehicle, compared to motorcycles,” Doucet says. “What most people tend to love about this vehicle is the side-by-side seating so you’re talking, you’re engaged with your partner all the way through the ride. It isn’t front and back like your standard motorcycle where you talk at various stops, you’re engaged with your partner the whole way through the ride.”

Production of the Slingshot is already underway at the 23-acre factory in Spirit Lake. Another Polaris plant is in nearby Milford and combined, they have more than one-thousand employees. Doucet says, “Over the last six months, the ramp-up has led to 300 incremental jobs, some of those directly related to Slingshot, some directly related to the supporting features that go to having us increase businesses down there, welding and painting and those types of things.” While the Polaris factory produces about 60 of the Indian and Victory motorcycles per day, Doucet wouldn’t elaborate on production numbers for the Slingshot.

“We do know how many we’re going to be making, that is proprietary information, but I will tell you we are all in on this investment,” Doucet says. “We’re very excited about it. Since the launch, since we’ve shown it to our dealers, the response has been overwhelming. Consumer demand, dealer response, can’t wait to get it, you’re not building enough of them.” Two models will be offered, ranging from around 20- to 24-thousand dollars. The vehicles should begin arriving in dealerships nationwide later this month.

(Radio Iowa)