Tampa Bay Coalition
Posts this in Support and on Behalf of;

The Polly Klaas Foundation ~ AMBER AlertNow.Org

Dear R. Zeke,

This month, the Polly Klaas Foundation is gearing up for its 6th Annual Child Safety Fair on September 13th in Petaluma, CA. We'll host booths on issues from school bus safety and Amber Alerts to fire safety and gun violence prevention. We know not all of you can make it to Petaluma, so we're bringing some of our safety fair highlights right to you!

Polly Klaas Foundation Annual Child Safety Fair

Booths at the Fair

1. FAMILY FIRE SAFETY
2. SCHOOL BUS SAFETY
3. BIKE SAFETY
4. STREET SMARTS

Family Fire Safety

We've all heard it before, but there's much more to fire safety than "Stop, Drop, and Roll!" The Petaluma Fire Department folks are here to give you and your kids some easy to follow steps to be prepared for fires and avoid them in the first place!

Kids

Don't play with fire or items like matches, gasoline, candles, or the stove, that burn easily.

When you see an uncontrolled fire, yell "Fire!" loudly, and find an adult immediately. Dial 911 if you can't find an adult.

Leave the building as soon as you hear a smoke detector. Do not take anything with you, do not run, and check if doorknobs are hot before opening doors.

Make a fire escape map of your home to show all of the best exit routes from each room and an outside meeting place for your family.

Parents

Keep flammable materials out of children's reach, and be alert when candles, fireplace fires and stoves are burning near children.

Teach your children when and how to call 911 relaying their name, address, and the problem at hand.

Check fire alarms in each room with your children, and replace batteries twice a year.

Help your children make a fire escape map including all rooms in your home, and decide on a suitable meeting place outside of the house.

Click here for more fire safety information.

School Bus Safety

You may not know it, but school buses are one of the safest forms of transportation around! The greatest potential danger for your kids is not actually riding the bus, it's before they get on and get off. Help your kids make it safely to school and back by teaching them the school bus danger zones brought to you by the experts at the National Traffic Safety Administration.

And while you're at it, check out their special "Before and After" school bus safety checklist - click here.

Bike Safety

From traffic signs to moving cars and danger zones, there's a lot for your child to think about on the street. But biking can be fun and safe for your child, so follow these 10 tips from the Highway Traffic Safety Administration with your child and take the "Safety Challenge" quiz to see how well you and your child know biking rules and other ways to stay safe on the road. Click here.

1. Always ride on the RIGHT, and remember to "go with the flow" of traffic.

2. Ride single file. Shout something like, "On your left!" when passing other bikers or pedestrians to let them know your position, and always check behind you when changing lanes.

3. Avoid dangerous things in the road like litter, potholes, gravel and storm gates.

4. Stop at all stop signs and at all streetlights. Be extra careful at crossroads.

5. Always signal before making left or right turns. For left turns: look behind you, hold your left arm straight out and proceed carefully. For right turns: hold your left arm out and up in an "L" shape.

6. Ride at least 3 feet away from parked cars. Someone could open a door unexpectedly and well, yikes!

7. Listen for cars approaching from the side or behind you.

8. Don't follow cars too closely (you may be in their blind spot).

9. Know your road signs and obey them. A smart biker follows the rules of the road.

10. (And finally!) Always be prepared to stop. Keep your hands on or close to the brakes.

Street Smarts

Thanks in part to California Highway Patrol's (CHP) incredible statewide efforts, Amber Alert has helped recover over forty missing children in California since July, 2002. The CHP is hard at work protecting our children, but you can play an important part in making sure children don't go missing in the first place by teaching your child these tips from the Polly Klaas Foundation's Child Safety Kit:

Listen to your child. The most important thing you can do to keep your child safe is to build a relationship based on love, respect and open communication.

Predators use tricks to lure children, for example, asking them to help find a lost pet, or to give directions, or to help carry something. Teach your child that adults do not need to ask children for help and to say "No", run away, and tell their parents or another responsible adult if an adult asks for help.

Tell your child it's OK to say "no" to adults. A child who feels threatened should loudly yell "No! You're not my Mom!" (or Dad), and scream and attract lots of attention.

Children should always trust their instincts. If a situation doesn't feel right, get away and seek help from a trusted adult.

Teach children to say their full name and their parents' full names. Teach your child his or her address, including city and state, and telephone number, including area code. Practice until your child can say them easily.

JOIN OUR SPECIAL COMMUNITY
When the worst happens to a family, when a child goes missing -- communities come together to support their neighbor, to help search, to provide comfort and love in this most difficult time. Very often, the Polly Klaas Foundation is part of that community. And when you support our work, you too become part of that community. Please, consider making a gift to help us bring missing kids home, and to prevent them from going missing in the first place with policies like Amber Alert. Click here to join the Polly Klaas Foundation community.

ABOUT THE AMBER ALERT PLAN
Amber Alerts are giving missing kids the fighting chance they deserve. The dramatic rescue of two California girls last summer, just hours after they were abducted, has been credited to a state-wide Amber Alert. At least 99 children nationwide have come home safely! Just think how many more will be saved now with an Amber Alert Plan installed in nearly every state.

ABOUT POLLY KLAAS FOUNDATION
The Polly Klaas Foundation is a national nonprofit that helps find missing children and prevents children from going missing in the first place. We accomplish our goals by promoting public policies, educating the public, and providing families, law enforcement and communities with the ongoing support and expertise needed to protect our children.

We have helped more than 4,500 families find missing children using our compassion, experience and professionalism. We know how to work with law enforcement, the media and the community to find missing children and prevent kids from going missing in the first place.

Working together with the community, policy-makers and law enforcement, we can make America safe for children by promoting public policies and educating kids, parents and the entire community on how to bring children home and keep them safe.

Close Window to Return to Tampa Bay Coalition's Web Site