Transcript: Health and Safety Podcast

April 16, 2025

Hello, and welcome to the Fairfax County Health and Safety Podcast. Coming up, learn about the Girls Fire and Rescue Academy summer camp, the temporary closure of the Joseph Willard Health Center, the Police Department’s formal foot pursuit policy, electronic benefits transfer scams and campus violence. Links to topics mentioned in this podcast can be found online at www.fairfaxcounty.gov.

 

The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department is excited to announce dates for the 2025 Girls Fire and Rescue Academy summer camp. This year, the Girls Fire and Rescue Academy will be held from Tuesday, June 24 through Friday, June 27, from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. The academy is open to rising 9th through 12th grade female students for the upcoming 2025 - 2026 school year. Participants should be a resident of Fairfax County. The program is completely free of charge. The camp is limited to 24 applicants and the spots are first come first served, so apply today! All applications must be received electronically by close of business on Friday, May 16. Learn more and apply. Search "Girls Fire And Rescue Academy" at fairfaxcounty.gov.

 

The Joseph Willard Health Center will temporarily close in October to allow  for the construction of the Willard-Sherwood Health and Community Center Project, which is scheduled to open in September 2028. The Joseph Willard Health Center will be demolished and replaced with a new health and community center. During construction, services will be available at other Health Department locations. Find more details on the Health Department webpage, fairfaxcounty.gov/heatlh.

 

Earlier this month, the Fairfax County Police Department announced the implemented a formal foot pursuit policy. This policy provides guidelines for officers initiating and conducting foot pursuits, addressing factors such as justification, safety considerations, and supervisory roles. The department also launched a public-facing foot pursuit dashboard accessible online. This dashboard will offer data on foot pursuit incidents within Fairfax County. Expected data points include the total number of foot pursuits, categorized by date and time. The dashboard will detail the initial suspected offense that led to the pursuit and the outcome of each incident, such as apprehension, escape, or abandonment. Information regarding injuries sustained by officers or subjects during these pursuits will also be included. The dashboard may present data on the general locations of foot pursuits and potentially demographic information of involved individuals, while adhering to privacy regulations. The purpose of the dashboard is to enhance public transparency regarding foot pursuit activities.

 

Scammers are targeting electronic benefits transfer (EBT) cardholders nationwide. Virginia, like most states, is unable to replace missing or stolen EBT funds, so it's important to protect your card and benefits.   

• Keep your PIN secret. Do not share your PIN with anyone outside your household. Cover the keypad when you enter your PIN on a machine.
• Download the ConnectEBT app (available for free on the Apple and Google app stores) to lock your EBT card from your phone after checkout.
• Check your EBT account regularly for unauthorized charges. If you notice any, change your PIN immediately to stop the thief from making any new purchases by calling 1-866-281-2448. 

Before you shop, know your balance in several ways:

• Save your receipts. The receipts always show how much you spent and how much is left in your account.
• On the Internet, go to ConnectEBT.com and follow the Virginia link. Besides your balance, you can see your last 90 days of transactions online too.
• Call Connect EBT Customer Service: 1-866-281-2448.
• Some grocery stores have a point-of-sale (POS) machine in their customer service area, where you can swipe your card and check your balance before you shop.

Check card reading machines to make sure there’s nothing suspicious overlayed or attached to the card swiper or keypad. The overlays can be difficult to detect but are often bigger than the original machine and may hide parts of the machine.

Learn more from the Virginia Department of Social Services: dss.virginia.gov/benefit/ebt_scam.cgi.

 

Campus violence is a legitimate worry for the roughly 72 million students enrolled in colleges and universities in this country. That violence includes sexual violence. Studies show if you're a college student or college-age adult, you're at particularly high risk of being sexually assaulted, likely by someone you know. This is what else studies tell us

Women ages 18 to 24 are at elevated risk of sexual violence.

• Among undergraduate students, 26.4% of women and 6.8% of men experience rape or sexual assault through physical force, violence, or incapacitation.
• 13% of all undergraduate and graduate students experience rape or sexual assault through physical force, violence, or incapacitation.
• Among graduate and professional students, 9.7% of women and 2.5% of men experience rape or sexual assault through physical force, violence, or incapacitation.
• Sexual violence is more prevalent at college than other crimes.

Whether you're seeking help for yourself or a loved one, the most important things to remember: Sexual violence is not your fault, and you are not alone. Domestic and Sexual Violence Services can help. Search "domestic sexual violence" on fairfaxcounty.gov for more information. If you or someone you know is experiencing violence, our advocates can offer support, education, and help with safety planning. Call the Domestic and Sexual Violence 24-Hour Hotline at 703-360-7273 for more information. If you are in immediate danger, text or call 9-1-1.

 

Finally, each month the Department of Emergency Management and Security produces an “Emergency Preparedness” newsletter and a monthly emergency preparedness webinar. Learn more and sign up for free at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/emergencymanagement.

 

That’s it for this edition of the Fairfax County Health and Safety Podcast, produced by the Fairfax County, Va., Government. Thanks for listening. Additional information about health and safety topics and emergency preparedness may be found on our emergency information blog at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/emergency/blog. Follow the Health and Safety podcast on soundcloud.com/fairfaxcounty and our podcasts webpage, fairfaxcounty.gov/podcasts. And remember, if you have a police, fire, or medical emergency, call 9-1-1. For non-emergency needs, call 703-691-2131.