According to information compiled by Volunteer Firemen’s Insurance Services, Inc. (VFIS), each year more than 200,000 children go to U.S. hospital emergency rooms with injuries associated with playground equipment. Between 2001 and 2008, 40 deaths were associated with playground equipment and the average age was six years old, with the median age being four years old.
Learn the who, what, when, where, and how of playground injuries and learn how to keep your children and students safe.
Who
Between 2001 and 2008, 218,851 children between the ages of zero and 12 were treated in emergency rooms across the United States for injuries they received on playground equipment.What
Here is a breakdown of the most common types of injuries:- 36% fractures
- 20% contusions/abrasions
- 17% lacerations
- 12% strains/sprains
- 5% internal organs
- 3% other
- 2% concussions
When
The following are the top equipment pieces associated with playground injuries:- 23% climbers
- 22% swings
- 17% slides
- 9% overhead ladders
Where
Here is a listing of locations where the injuries are occurring:- 51% public playground equipment
- 19% home playground equipment
- 20% not recorded
- 1% other
How
This breakdown lists how injuries are occurring:- 67% falls or equipment failure
- 8% hazards around but not related to equipment
- 7% collisions with other children or equipment
- 7% entrapments
Prevention Checklist:
- Make sure surfaces around playground equipment have at least 12 inches of wood chips, mulch, sand or pea gravel. Surfaces could also be mats made of safety-tested rubber or rubber-like materials.
- Check that protective surfacing extends at least six feet in all directions from play equipment. For swings, be sure surfacing extends, in back and front, twice the height of the suspending bar.
- Make sure play structures more than 30 inches high are spaced at least nine feet apart.
- Check for dangerous hardware, like open “S” hooks or protruding bolt ends.
- Make sure spaces that could trap children, such as openings in guardrails or between ladder rungs, measure less than three-and-a-half inches or more than nine inches.
- Check for sharp points or edges in equipment.
- Look out for tripping hazards like exposed concrete footings, tree stumps, and rocks.
- Make sure elevated surfaces, like platforms and ramps, have guardrails to prevent falls.
- Check playgrounds regularly to see that equipment and surfacing are in good condition.
It’s happened 44 times. When you’re in the fire safety business like ESCAPE founder, firefighter and Certified National Fire Instructor Michael McLeieer is, you remember the number of times people have told you what they learned from you saved their life – or that of someone whom they know.
ESCAPE fire safety and education organization is marking its 20th anniversary spreading the word about fire safety. Many times, it’s children who are the target of the message.
Hear why McLeieer does what he does during an interview on WBCK radio by clicking the video below.
Read More: ESCAPE Marks 20 Years of Fire Safety |
According to the National Fire Protection Association, U.S. fire departments respond to approximately 5,690 fires at education buildings each year. These fires caused an annual 85 civilian injuries and $92 million in direct property damage. Almost a quarter of all school fires are started intentionally. Safety education and preparation should be a priority for every family and school official.
E.S.C.A.P.E. Fire Safety offers these tips to play it safe as children and adolescents return to school:
- Fire drills should be held at least once a month while school is in session (weather permitting).
- Principals, teachers or other school staff must inspect all exits daily to ensure that stairways, doors, and other exits are working properly and are unblocked.
- On the day of the drill, the emergency drill alarm should be sounded on the school fire alarm system. Make sure everyone can recognize the sound of the alarm and knows what to do when it sounds.
- Teachers, officials, and staff should be familiar with the school’s fire protection system, including the location of fire alarms pull stations and sprinklers.
- Every room in the school should have a map posted identifying two ways out. In schools with open floor plans, exit paths should be obvious and kept free of obstruction.
- On the day of the fire drill, everyone in the school should participate.
- Students with specific needs should be assigned an adult or a student buddy to assist them. Fire drills are a good opportunity to identify who among the student population requires extra assistance.
- While it’s important to make sure that students leave the building as quickly as possible, order is more important than speed when it comes to conducting a safe fire drill.
- Use the class rosters to ensure every student is accounted for.
- Fire drills should be held both at expected and at unexpected time, and under varying conditions in order to simulate the conditions that can occur in an actual emergency.
- School fire drills are a model for students to use in their homes. Encourage students to practice their escape plans at home – just as they do at school
If a student engages in firesetting or other negative high risk taking behavior, contact your local fire department or visit www.kidsandfire.org for a list of West Michigan Fire Department based Youth Firesetting Prevention and Intervention programs.
College Fire Safety
While the above tips focus mostly on elementary, middle and high schools, they can also apply to college buildings, where firefighters respond to about 3,810 fires each year – 88% of which are due to cooking mishaps. Here’s a college-level course in fire prevention:
On-campus precautions
- Cook only in designated areas
- Keep cooking areas clean and free of clutter
- Never leave cooking unattended
- In case of a fire inside a microwave, close the door and unplug the unit
Campus lab precautions
- Never leave lab experiments or pressure vessels unattended
- Keep flammable gases and chemicals away from heat
Off-campus precautions
- Be sure each bedroom has a working smoke alarm
- Make sure the building sprinkler system is well maintained
- Building heating and fire-prevention systems need to be checked annually by fire officials
General precautions
- Identify the two closest exits and all possible evacuation routes
- Know locations of fire alarms and how to use them
- Report vandalized fire equipment to campus security
Fire Prevention Week is recognized each October. However, fire safety should be practiced 365 days a year. Whether you’re at home, in the office or at school, safety should come first. Do your part to protect yourself and those around you Where You Live!
Join Jake The Fire Safety Dog and E.S.C.A.P.E. Fire Safety Tuesday, August 4th from 4pm to 8pm at Peppino’s South for National Night Out in Gaines Township.
For more information, visit:
https://www.facebook.com/events/788881381230557/
Marandas Park Parties traveled to five communities across West Michigan in 2015, including the July 30 event at Northwestern Middle School in Battle Creek. An estimated 6,100 kids and families turned out at the final Park Party of the summer, bringing this year’s total to an estimated 29,000 participants!
“It has been an amazing summer visiting so many wonderful communities across West Michigan and impacting the lives of so many families across our area. We couldn’t do it without the amazing support of our great sponsors from WOOD TV8 and WOTV 4 and from the communities we visited. A huge thanks to everyone who joined for Park Party season 2015,” Maranda said.
E.S.C.A.P.E. would like to thank our fabulous partners for their continued support of fire and life safety education and commitment to help us keep West Michigan families safe!
The Battle Creek Park Party is unique because Maranda partners with Battle Creek Public Schools to bring the community together. Each school in the district was represented in one super-sized area with games, giveaways, and to register children for kindergarten. The district also provided busing from area elementary schools and apartment complexes.
The final Maranda Park Party of the summer is coming to Northwestern Middle School in Battle Creek on July 30.
Maranda partners with Battle Creek Public Schools to bring the community together. Each school in the district is represented in one super-sized area with games, giveaways, and to register children for kindergarten. They also provide busing from area elementary schools and apartment complexes. See the schedule here.
The Battle Creek Police Department brings out a huge display to delight children at the Park Party! Visitors can see the bomb squad with a robot, the Emergency Response Team, and a K9. The Police Department loves the opportunity to get together with people in the community and have fun together.
The Battle Creek Park Party is extra special for E.S.C.A.P.E. Fire Safety, as they celebrate their 20th anniversary. The organization started in Battle Creek, taking fire safety education into communities using a fire safety demonstration trailer. Last year, E.S.C.A.P.E. had the one millionth child go through the smoke demonstration trailer at the Park Party in Battle Creek. This year, they’re helping super-size the event with prizes and a Rescue Squad bounce house.
The Pearson Family will be at the Park Party once again, bringing their incredible sound to the Craig’s Cruisers Entertainment Stage. The family performs beautiful harmonies for the National Anthem and other songs.
The Maranda Park Party on July 30 is from noon until 2 p.m. Free lunch is served to anyone 18 and under starting at 11:30 a.m., while supplies last.
Approximately 3,800 kids and families flocked to Berlin Raceway on Thursday, July 9, for Maranda’s second Park Party of the summer. The blue skies and sunshine appeared just as Maranda kicked things off on stage and families enjoyed a picture-perfect day in Marne.
“It turned out to be a beautiful day at our second Park Party of the summer,” said Maranda. “Berlin Raceway opened the gates and kids came and played in the pits and enjoyed an amazing time. From monster trucks to race cars and farm animals, this party was extra special.”
This was the second time in the past ten years that Maranda has hosted this large-scale event at Berlin Raceway and today’s event was bigger and better than ever. Exciting attractions included a mini Ferris wheel, zip line, climbing wall, and super slide. Party-goers also got the chance to explore Berlin’s track up close, check out the pits, infield, Monster Trucks and more!
Once again working with USDA, Michigan Department of Education, and Kenowa Hills Public Schools, thousands of free lunches were served to anyone 18 and under. Many kids also walked away with prizes from Priority Health, Cedar Point, Michigan’s Adventure, John Ball Zoo, Holland Community Aquatic Center, and more!
The Park Party team will be traveling to the remaining three communities, bringing a supersized celebration to all.
Stop by the E.S.C.A.P.E. Fire Safety trailer and meet Jake The Fire Safety Dog. Families will continue to learn about fire safety and the importance of having working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms through Operation Save A Life, the West Michigan partnership between WOTV4Women, Kidde, local fire departments and E.S.C.A.P.E.
- July 16 – Kollen Park, Holland
- July 23 – Smith Ryerson Park, Muskegon
- July 30 – Northwestern Middle School, Battle Creek
Fireworks during the Fourth of July are as American as apple-pie, but did you know that 2 out of 5 fires reported on that day are started by fireworks, more than for any other cause? According to the United States Fire Administration, fireworks cause approximately 15,000 injuries including burns and eye injuries each year.
The good news is you can enjoy your holiday and the fireworks by following a few simple safety tips:
Proceed with caution!
- Be safe. If you want to see fireworks, go to a public show put on by trained experts.
- Parents and caregivers should always closely supervise children at events where fireworks are used.
- Sparklers burn at more than 1,200 °F and cause 3rd degree burns in seconds.
- Place discarded sparker wires in a metal bucket filled with water.
- 16% of fireworks injuries each year throughout the United States are caused by sparklers.
- After the firework display, children should never pick up fireworks that may be left over since they may still be active.
- Leave pets at home and keep them inside during firework displays. Loud noises can scare them or hurt their hearing.
Here is a video showing the dangers of consumer grade fireworks:
For more information on fireworks safety, visit www.nfpa.org/fireworks.
E.S.C.A.P.E. Fire Safety urges Michiganders to follow common sense safety rules this Fourth of July during holiday celebrations!
One of the biggest free parties in West Michigan returns for another summer on Thursday, June 25! Maranda is kicking off her 21st season of Maranda Park Parties at Lamar Park in Wyoming. Each Maranda Park Party is held from noon until 2 p.m. Everyone is invited and everything is free!
The Wyoming Park Party is bigger and better than ever with two brand new activities: a giant obstacle course and a Ferris wheel! Lamar Park will be filled with more than 50 different vendors providing a variety of free services, information, and activities.
Kids can rock out with a house band or get a free haircut for summer provided by Grand Rapids First Church! E.S.C.A.P.E. Fire Safety is celebrating 20 years of keeping kids safe with a new bounce house where families can come meet Jake the Fire Safety Dog. Also in Wyoming, the first 80 families who donate a bag of new or gently used items to the Bethany’s Thrift Store will receive an Entertainment Book.
Once again in working with USDA, Michigan Department of Education and local school districts, free lunch will be served to anyone 18 and under starting at 11:30 a.m., while supplies last. Every Park Party also includes free activities, games, entertainment and, of course, prizes!
This year Maranda and the Park Party team will be traveling to five communities bringing a supersized celebration to all.
- June 25 – Lamar Park, Wyoming
- July 9 – Berlin Raceway, Marne
- July 16 – Kollen Park, Holland
- July 23 – Smith Ryerson Park, Muskegon
- July 30 – Northwestern Middle School, Battle Creek
Recent statistics show the number of fire-related deaths are on the rise in Michigan. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, from Jan. 1 to June 2, 2015 the number of fire deaths were up 25-percent from 2014. A total of 61 people died in fires across the state. Twenty-three of those deaths were in West Michigan which is a 48-percent increase over this same time last year.
Operation Save A Life is working to save lives by providing free smoke and carbon monoxide alarms to fire departments in West Michigan where they will be installed in high risk homes by trained firefighters.
“We’re finding the majority of fire fatalities are occurring in homes that don’t have working smoke alarms,” said Michael McLeieer, program coordinator for Operation Save A Life.” We want to make sure that families have working smoke alarms.”
“Electrical fires seem to be one of the major issues behind this. Unsafe use of extension cords, things of that nature. Be attentive to anything you’re doing with the stove,” said Fire Marshall Ted Karnitz of the Norton Shores Fire Department.
Nearly 3,000 smoke alarms have been installed throughout Muskegon County since Jan. 1.
There will also be a big push for fire safety education at all five Maranda Park Parties this summer.
For a complete list of West Michigan smoke alarm installation programs, click here. If your community is not listed or you have questions about smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms, or home fire safety, send an email to [email protected].