Kudos! King County CIO shares County successes in magazine article
King County Chief Information Officer Bill Kehoe was recently featured in StateTech Magazine talking about the importance of rolling out a robust communications platform for organizations.
StateTech spotlighted KCIT’s efforts to roll out a comprehensive communications software that enables King County employees to stay connected via instant message (IM), phone call, and conduct meetings with a voice, video and content sharing.
“We’ve seen tremendous increase in staff productivity and savings from not having to travel to and from meetings – and there are thousands of meetings that occur over a month’s time,” Kehoe said.
Learn more about the progress King County has made in the article here.
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EMS/Medic One doctor talks reasons for survival success
Crossposted from Public Health Insider
On this final look at the EMS system for the week, we asked Dr. Tom Rea, Emergency Medical Services Program Director for King County, to wrap it up with a look at how our system works together to save lives and provide excellent care wherever you go in the county.
In addition to his role with King County, Dr. Rea works clinically at Harborview Medical Center where he is a University of Washington Professor of Medicine. He’s dedicated his career to improving care for emergency conditions.
What constitutes a good EMS system?
The key to your question is the word “system”? For example, consider a serious motor vehicle crash where there are multiple injured persons. Many take it for granted but consider what happens: there is a 9-1-1 call to the emergency dispatch which triages the event and sends appropriate resources.
Read more at Public Health Insider
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Tech Tip: King County’s App Store grows!
KCIT is making it easier to download the apps you need without having to contact the Helpdesk or require someone with special privileges on your PC. In the past, apps had to be installed by a technician with special rights. Now apps can be self installed when it’s convenient for the end user.
Every month, we are putting more apps in the King County App Store known as the Software Center on your PC.
To get there, go to the windows icon in the lower left corner. Click and you will get to a search box. Put in the words “Software Center” and hit return and it will take you to King County’s approved software center. If the app is here, you likely have unrestricted permission to install it. For applications that require a purchased license there will be an automated method to handle that too in the near future.
There are 150+ apps there right now, and we are working toward hundreds more as we centralize all installation software.
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Understanding the role of an Appraiser
King County Assessor John Wilson has put together a video that helps residents understand how property tax values are determined.
“While your property value might change, the greatest driver in how much you pay in property tax is actually voter-approved ballot measures,” Wilson said. “Each local government can only increase property tax revenues by 1% per year unless – and this an important unless – voters approve a special levy; and it’s these levies that are increasing property tax bills for most of us.”
The video debunks some of the myths about the role of property appraisers and explains the key functions of appraisers and how they determine the value of properties.
To learn more about the role of appraisers, click here to watch the video.
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Featured Job: Fiscal Specialist III
Closing Date/Time: Sun. 07/09/17 11:59 PM Pacific Time
Salary: $22.99 – $29.28 Hourly
Job Type: Special Duty Assignment or Term Limited Temp (TLT)
Location: King Street Center – 201 S Jackson St, Seattle, Washington
Department: Department of Natural Resources & Parks – Wastewater Treatment Division
Description: This position is offered as a special duty opportunity open to King County career service employees or it will be filled as a term limited temporary position. First consideration will be given to Wastewater Treatment Division employees who are represented by Teamsters Local 117. Applicants from this recruitment may be considered for other vacancies as they occur for a Fiscal Specialist II or Fiscal Specialist III.
This position is overtime eligible, with a 40-hour work week, Monday through Friday. This position is funded through December 1, 2019.
This position reports to the Customer Service Supervisor in the Finance Section of the Department of Natural Resources and Parks, Wastewater Treatment Division. Under limited supervision, this position provides specialized technical billing, accounts receivable and customer service related to the Revenue and Accounts Receivable Charge Program.
Learn more about this position, or view all available jobs.
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PRIDE is coming Sunday, June 25
“Whether you arrived here last week or whether you’ve lived here for five generations, you belong here.” – King County Executive Dow Constantine
Please join King County Executive Dow Constantine and other colleagues, friends and family as we walk in the Pride Parade on Sunday, June 25. To walk with the King County group, meet at 10 a.m. on Fourth Avenue between University Street and Seneca Street and look for the King County Metro bus. The parade leaves from Union Street at 11 a.m. and ends at Second Avenue and Denny Way near Seattle Center about two hours later. For more information about the parade and Pride events, click here.
The first 200 people to arrive at the gathering point can receive a free King County Pride t-shirt. Adult sizes S-XL are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Please be prepared for the event. Bring snacks if needed and note that temperatures are predicted to be near 90 degrees on Sunday. Plan to attend with water, sunscreen and comfortable clothing.
Bring yourself, your family, your friends and enjoy the parade together! Remember, we all belong here.
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KOMO News recently featured a King County Metro driver for his upbeat and positive attitude
Walid Underwood, a regular driver for the D-Line bus, was recently featured in a KOMO News exclusive. Host Eric Johnson and a camera crew tagged along for a ride, chatting with Walid and several of his passengers.
‘Walid doesn’t just drive a bus. He’s a singing, laughing, joke-telling tour guide, throwing out old-school references and corny one-liners and off-the-wall observations.
“Welcome aboard Flight 106”, he says, as a handful of riders climb aboard.’
Read more at KOMO News. Image courtesy of KOMO News.
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Summer is here: Heat advisory issued
Crossposted from Emergency News
The National Weather Service in Seattle has issued a Heat Advisory in effect through 9 p.m. on Sunday, June 25. Temperatures are expected to soar above 90 degrees this weekend. Because this is the first real summer-like heat in our region this year, residents should use extra caution especially during outdoor activities like Sunday’s Seattle Pride Parade.
To help protect you and your family, King County agencies are pleased to offer the following information.
Hot Weather Safety
- Heart problems, stroke, and kidney failure are the most common health problems on hot days.
- Check on at-risk friends, family, and neighbors twice a day. Children under 5 and adults over 65 are especially vulnerable to health risks due to heat.
- People who work or play sports outside should take extra precautions to stay cool, drink water, and take breaks from the heat.
- Some health conditions and medications make people more sensitive to heat. Check with your doctor about whether you are at greater risk.
- Stay cool by spending time in air-conditioned buildings, and avoid direct sun. If you don’t have air conditioning at home, try visiting malls, movie theaters, restaurants, or libraries.
- Stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water and don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink more.
- Never leave infants, children, or pets in a parked car, even if the windows are partially open. The temperature in a vehicle can climb much higher than outside. It only takes a few minutes for severe medical problems and even death to occur.
- Watch for signs of heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Seek medical care immediately if you know someone who experiences symptoms.
- Signs of heat exhaustion: heavy sweating; weakness; cold, pale, and clammy skin; weak pulse; fainting; vomiting.
- Signs of heat stroke: high body temperature (103° F or higher); hot, dry skin; rapid and strong pulse; possible unconsciousness.
- Use sunscreen. Sunburns can be very painful, and increase your risk for skin cancer.
Additional safety tips are available from Public Health-Seattle & King County at www.kingcounty.gov/BeatTheHeat.
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Upcoming PeopleSoft system upgrade, June 23
This is to inform all County staff that the PeopleSoft system will be unavailable from 3 p.m. on Friday, June 23 through 6 a.m. on Monday, June 26.
During this planned outage, the PeopleSoft team will be upgrading the system tools and applying vendor-provided updates and maintenance. This work will begin on Friday, June 23 at 3 p.m. and is scheduled to be completed by 6 a.m. on Monday, June 26.
The system will not be available for access by any County staff during this outage window. There will be a communication sent out to all County staff when the system becomes available.
We realize that this outage impacts PeopleSoft users. We appreciate your understanding and support.
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King County awarded for commitment to clean transportation
Crossposted from Inside Transportation
King County’s efforts to address climate change and promote cleaner transportation were recognized this month with the “2016 Clean Cities Sustainable Commitment Award” from our partners at Western Washington Clean Cities.
This is the Clean Cities most prestigious annual award, reserved for organizations that go above and beyond in their commitment to reduce fossil fuel use, promote alternative fuels, and improve air quality. King County is a Gold-level Clean Cities member, and under Executive Dow Constantine’s leadership, has taken bold steps to adopt clean technologies and promote equitable access to transportation.
Read more at Inside Transportation
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