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Saturday
March 20, 2010 Since 1922 |
Safety Day gets kids ready for summer
By Kari Griffin
Baytown Sun Published May 14, 2007 The children pedaling around the bicycle course, waving from the train, bouncing on the moonwalk, belly-crawling through the smoke house and climbing through the Life Flight helicopter featured at Saturday’s summer safety event were having so much fun, they didn’t even realize they were learning life-saving lessons.
Since this was the second year for the Highlands Volunteer Fire Department to host Summer Safety Day, safety officers knew combining safety and education was the key to making the event one kids and parents won’t forget anytime soon. Cpl. Mike Parson from Harris County Precinct 3 Constable Ken Jones’ office, the Pilot Club of Highlands, the Community Resource Credit Union, the Cloverleaf Volunteer Fire Department and Memorial Hermann Life Flight and Highlands Emergency Medical Services all got involved in the joint effort to make sure every kid stays safe when school lets out this month.
For Safety Officer Rafael Errisuriz and his co-workers at the HVFD, devoting a few hours to ensure that parents are well informed is worth the effort if it can keep even one child out of harms way, a task that becomes more difficult when the summer season arrives.
“It’s during the summertime that the kids have more opportunities to be out on their own,” Errisuriz said. “They’re out having fun and they’re not considering what dangers are out there.”
Errisuriz said keeping safety in mind when engaging in activities is important year-round, but certain accidents become more common as the weather gets hotter, reminding kids that it’s time to play outdoors or in the water. Comfort is one of the dangers parents need to be aware of, Errisuriz said.
“That’s when accidents can happen,” Errisuriz said.
He said that applies to everything from handling knives to swimming in the pool. Too often, parents think their presence is enough to prevent their kids from drowning, Errisuriz said. But in the time it takes for a guardian to blink or turn their head, their child could disappear into the water.
“It just takes a second,” Errisuriz said.
One of the issues stressed at the event was the importance of protecting children with lifejackets, even if they have someone watching them.
“What we found out last year is, a lot of parents take their kids to play in the water, but they don’t put lifejackets on them,” Errisuriz said.
Lifejackets were among the prizes given out to the children at safety day. Parents also got to view a presentation over summer safety, complete with facts on how many children are harmed each year due to bicycle accidents, water activities, games and exposure to poisonous substances. National statistics show that three kids are taken to the emergency room each week of baseball and softball seasons due to injuries related to the sport, and 200,000 seek treatment for injuries cause by falls on the playground, specifically concussions and head injuries.
“That’s a lot of kids,” Errisuriz said.
Every day, 1,000 kids visit hospital emergency rooms because of head injuries obtained while riding a bike. About 300,000 people become seriously ill from ingesting poison each year, and about 6,000 people die for the same reason. During the summer, about 33 people drown each day.
“We want to make sure they know these are real injuries,” Errisuriz said. “People get hurt and people do die from these injuries.”
The HVFD hopes the presentation, “Enjoy Your Summer Safely,” will hit home and convince the parents to be extra cautious when they can. He said it’s the little things, like having a smoke detector installed, wearing seatbelts and helmets and making sure emergency numbers like 9-1-1 and poison control are easily accessible, that can mean the difference between life and death.
“We’re going over it with the parents because we want the parents to take that with them and have it in their mind,” Errisuriz said of the information.
Children can also benefit from being exposed to this knowledge, and they can never be to young to learn about safety, Debbie Reynolds said. The Beach City resident brought her 3-year-old daughter Stephanie out to have some fun and learn what she could.
“The more times they hear it, the better they’ll be,” Reynolds said.
For more safety tips, residents can call the HVFD station at 281-843-2466. Parents can also contact Parson for a free fingerprinting kit at 281-427-4792. Any businesses that would like to donate kneepads, helmets or lifejackets to be distributed can contact either number.
Baytown Sun Published May 14, 2007 The children pedaling around the bicycle course, waving from the train, bouncing on the moonwalk, belly-crawling through the smoke house and climbing through the Life Flight helicopter featured at Saturday’s summer safety event were having so much fun, they didn’t even realize they were learning life-saving lessons.
Since this was the second year for the Highlands Volunteer Fire Department to host Summer Safety Day, safety officers knew combining safety and education was the key to making the event one kids and parents won’t forget anytime soon. Cpl. Mike Parson from Harris County Precinct 3 Constable Ken Jones’ office, the Pilot Club of Highlands, the Community Resource Credit Union, the Cloverleaf Volunteer Fire Department and Memorial Hermann Life Flight and Highlands Emergency Medical Services all got involved in the joint effort to make sure every kid stays safe when school lets out this month.
For Safety Officer Rafael Errisuriz and his co-workers at the HVFD, devoting a few hours to ensure that parents are well informed is worth the effort if it can keep even one child out of harms way, a task that becomes more difficult when the summer season arrives.
“It’s during the summertime that the kids have more opportunities to be out on their own,” Errisuriz said. “They’re out having fun and they’re not considering what dangers are out there.”
Errisuriz said keeping safety in mind when engaging in activities is important year-round, but certain accidents become more common as the weather gets hotter, reminding kids that it’s time to play outdoors or in the water. Comfort is one of the dangers parents need to be aware of, Errisuriz said.
“That’s when accidents can happen,” Errisuriz said.
He said that applies to everything from handling knives to swimming in the pool. Too often, parents think their presence is enough to prevent their kids from drowning, Errisuriz said. But in the time it takes for a guardian to blink or turn their head, their child could disappear into the water.
“It just takes a second,” Errisuriz said.
One of the issues stressed at the event was the importance of protecting children with lifejackets, even if they have someone watching them.
“What we found out last year is, a lot of parents take their kids to play in the water, but they don’t put lifejackets on them,” Errisuriz said.
Lifejackets were among the prizes given out to the children at safety day. Parents also got to view a presentation over summer safety, complete with facts on how many children are harmed each year due to bicycle accidents, water activities, games and exposure to poisonous substances. National statistics show that three kids are taken to the emergency room each week of baseball and softball seasons due to injuries related to the sport, and 200,000 seek treatment for injuries cause by falls on the playground, specifically concussions and head injuries.
“That’s a lot of kids,” Errisuriz said.
Every day, 1,000 kids visit hospital emergency rooms because of head injuries obtained while riding a bike. About 300,000 people become seriously ill from ingesting poison each year, and about 6,000 people die for the same reason. During the summer, about 33 people drown each day.
“We want to make sure they know these are real injuries,” Errisuriz said. “People get hurt and people do die from these injuries.”
The HVFD hopes the presentation, “Enjoy Your Summer Safely,” will hit home and convince the parents to be extra cautious when they can. He said it’s the little things, like having a smoke detector installed, wearing seatbelts and helmets and making sure emergency numbers like 9-1-1 and poison control are easily accessible, that can mean the difference between life and death.
“We’re going over it with the parents because we want the parents to take that with them and have it in their mind,” Errisuriz said of the information.
Children can also benefit from being exposed to this knowledge, and they can never be to young to learn about safety, Debbie Reynolds said. The Beach City resident brought her 3-year-old daughter Stephanie out to have some fun and learn what she could.
“The more times they hear it, the better they’ll be,” Reynolds said.
For more safety tips, residents can call the HVFD station at 281-843-2466. Parents can also contact Parson for a free fingerprinting kit at 281-427-4792. Any businesses that would like to donate kneepads, helmets or lifejackets to be distributed can contact either number.