In the recent summer months we had a drowning of a 4-year old and a near drowning of a 3-year old.  Luckily for Lali, Angelo Mondragan was in the right place at the right time and she survived with no after-affects.

Now Angelo wants to make sure no one has to go through that experience again.  He has started “Live for Lali”, a fund raiser to collect money for life jackets to create loaner boards as local area lakes and rivers.  Safe Kids is proud to team up with “Live for Lali” for this effort as drowning is preventable.  Along with Safe Kids Larimer County, Mackenzie’s Mission, a 501c3 focused on water safety prevention, is teaming up with Angelo and “Live for Lali” to provide education and life jackets to save lives.

Join us in our mission!  You can donate the following ways:

1.  “Live for Lali” Go Fund Me page at http://www.gofundme.com/liveforlali
2. Go to Mackenze’s Missions web site at http://macksmission.org/
3. Send a check to Safe Kids Larimer County to 1025 Garfield St., Suite A, Fort Collins, CO 80524

All monies raised will support water safety prevention in Larimer County, including purchasing life jackets!

Thank you for your support!

Take your old/expired car seats to the Loveland Recycling Center located at 400 N. Wilson Ave.

You MUST strip the seat of all padding and harnesses or it will be put in the landfill.

The Colorado State Patrol can NO LONGER ACCEPT car seats for recycling.  The state Child Passenger Safety program is working on additional solutions that can be implemented statewide.

 

Even Self-Proclaimed ‘Safe’ Teen Drivers Play With Their Phones Behind The Wheel Posted: 05 Aug 2015 02:15 PM PDT From: Huffington Post If you think a 9-to-5 schedule is tough, be glad you’re not a high schooler. Their schedules are packed with activities — sports, community service, yearbook club, AP tests — to help them make it into college, and their smartphones provide an easy way to constantly obsess over whatever their friends are doing. That sounds like a recipe for 24/7 stress — and a new survey suggests it all could have fatal consequences when teens get behind the wheel. Students Against Destructive Decisions and Liberty Mutual Insurance on Tuesday released the results of a recent study indicating that an “always-on” lifestyle can lead to dangerous driving habits. The groups report that 52 percent of teens surveyed get less than six hours of sleep every night during the week, though the National Sleep Foundation says they should be getting eight to 10. Worse, these drowsy drivers are glued to their smartphones: 34 percent of teens in the study said they glance at app notifications when they’re driving, and 88 percent of those who consider themselves “safe” drivers confess to using apps when they’re behind the wheel. (A spokesman for Liberty Mutual told The Huffington Post that a previous version of the study’s press release erroneously stated that 48 percent of surveyed teens look at app notifications when driving.) Although teens generally favor Facebook and Instagram over Snapchat, 38 percent of surveyed teens reported they use Snapchat when driving. In comparison, 20 percent said they use Instagram; 17 percent Twitter; 12 percent Facebook and 12 percent YouTube. The study did not provide any specific information about how teens use the apps. Concerned parents should have a talk with their kids about safe driving habits, but not when they’re behind the wheel. Fifty-five percent of the teenagers surveyed say they text when they’re driving because they’re updating their parents, and 19 percent said their parents expect a response to a text message within a minute. That said, 58 percent of the parents surveyed said they don’t expect a rapid reply. So, really: Have a conversation and establish some ground rules, you guys! In the United States, nine people are killed in accidents involving distracted drivers every day.Technology isn’t always the villain, but needless to say, smartphones and driving certainly shouldn’t mix. SADD and Liberty Mutual surveyed 1,622 11th and 12th graders across the United States for their study. The groups also surveyed 1,000 parents of high schoolers.

 

 

Drowning is the leading cause of injury-related death among children between 1 and 4. On average more than 1,000 children drown each year and more than 5,000 are seen in emergency rooms for injuries from near-drowning incidents.

Studies show that although 90 percent of parents say they supervise their children while swimming, many acknowledge that they engage in other distracting activities at the same time like talking, eating, reading or taking care of another child. Even a near-drowning incident can have lifelong consequences. Kids who survive a near-drowning may have brain damage, and after four to six minutes under water the damage is usually irreversible.

Safe Kids Larimer County recommends the following five tips to keep kids safe in and around water:

1. Give kids your undivided attention. Actively supervise children in and around water, without distraction.
2. Use the Water Watcher strategy. When there are several adults present and children are swimming, use the Water Watcher card to designate an adult as the Water Watcher for a certain amount of time (such as 15-minute periods) to prevent lapses in supervision and give parents a chance to read, make phone calls or take a bathroom break.
3. Teach kids not to swim alone. Whether you’re swimming in a backyard pool or in a lake, teach children to swim with an adult. Older, more experienced swimmers should still swim with a partner every time. From the first time your kids swim, teach children to never go near or in water without an adult present.
4. Wear life jackets. Always have your children wear a life jacket approved by the U.S. Coast Guard while on boats, around open bodies of water or when participating in water sports. Make sure the life jacket fits snugly. Have the child make a “touchdown” signal by raising both arms straight up; if the life jacket hits the child’s chin or ears, it may be too big or the straps may be too loose.
5. Learn CPR. We know you have a million things to do, but learning CPR should be at the top of the list. It will give you tremendous peace of mind – and the more peace of mind you have as a parent, the better. Contact the Red Cross at 1-800-Red-Cross or coloradoredcross.org for information about local child and infant CPR classes.
6. Be extra careful around pool drains. Teach children to never play or swim near drains or suction outlets, which can cause situations where kids can get stuck underwater.

The 4th of July is a great time to get together with family and friends and celebrate our independence as a country.  One of the time old traditions on this holiday is fireworks.  However, there are laws in each city of the state of Colorado that govern whether or not you can use fireworks.  The City of Loveland, the Town of Windsor, and unincorporated Larimer County all allow fireworks as long as they don’t explode or leave the ground (that means you can light fountains and smoke balls–not bombs).  ALL fireworks are illegal in he City of Fort Collins and the Town of Timnath.  This was also stated by Poudre Fire Authority:

“Fireworks that are sold along Mulberry/I25 are legal as they are outside city limits.  These fireworks  can only be used in Laporte, and parts of Bellvue.  Purchases made at the fireworks stands on Mulberry by citizens are legal, until they cross back in city limits; if they get pulled over they can be fined.”

Want to be safe and still enjoy the festivities?  Go to a professional fireworks display put on by your city or town.  Grab the picnic basket, Frisbee, sunscreen, and bug spray and head out to see the show.  Most start at dusk.