Preventing Accidental Injury. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 22, 2008 Contact: Jan Stegelman, 785-296-1223, or Cherie Sage 785-296-0351

Over 2,000 Children Fatally Injured at Home Yearly

Safe Kids Kansas urges parents to childproof homes

Approximately 2,300 children in the United States, ages 14 and under, died from accidental injuries in the home in 2004, and 3.4 million kids are treated in emergency rooms for accidental injuries occurring at home. Most fatal injuries at home are caused by suffocation, fire and burns, drowning, choking, falls, poisoning or firearms discharged unintentionally.

Safe Kids Kansas urges parents and caregivers to check their homes at least once a year for basic safety hazards. “There’s no substitute for active supervision, but childproofing your home provides extra protection and peace of mind,” says Jan Stegelman, Safe Kids Kansas coordinator. “It’s easy to eliminate the most obvious hazards — and it doesn’t have to involve a lot of expensive equipment.”

The first step in childproofing a home is to explore every room at a child’s eye level. “Literally get down on your hands and knees and crawl around. You’ll be surprised at how much you can reach and how many small objects you can pick up,” says Stegelman. “Anything that can fit through a standard 1½-inch toilet paper tube is a potential choking hazard. Of course, cleaning products, medications, alcohol and other potentially harmful substances need to be stored out of reach and locked up.

Safe Kids Kansas also recommends these precautions:

• Set your water heater no higher than 120 degrees F. At higher temperatures, it only takes three seconds to burn a child’s skin severely enough to require surgery.
• Memorize this phone number: 800-222-1222. From anywhere in the U.S., this toll-free number will connect you to the local Poison Control Center. Call this hotline if a child has ingested any substance that isn’t food — but if a child is choking or having trouble breathing, call 911.
• Test your smoke alarms every month. Make sure you have working smoke alarms in every sleeping area. Also check for fire hazards such as frayed electrical wires or flammable materials near heating appliances.
• Install carbon monoxide detectors in every sleeping area and near fuel-burning appliances. Test the detectors once a month. This invisible, odorless gas can be fatal.
• Put safety gates at the top and bottom of every stairway. Gates installed with hardware are safer than pressure gates.
• Install a self-closing and self-latching gate around the home swimming pool or spa. Make sure the fence surrounds the entire pool or spa.
• Cover unused electrical outlets. You can buy plastic outlet covers, or just use duct tape.
• Keep firearms unloaded and locked out of reach. And lock up ammunition in a separate place.
• Post emergency numbers by every phone. In addition to the numbers for fire and emergency medical services, keep numbers for the pediatrician and a neighbor handy.
• Check your first aid kit to make sure it is fully stocked. Make sure babysitters know where to find first aid supplies and how to handle an emergency.

For moreinformation about kitchen safety, window blinds, cribs, windows, furniture and other hazards around the home, visit www.usa.safekids.org/.

“Safety comes first, even if it means making your home a little less convenient for adults,” says Stegelman. “Safety gates and cabinet locks are a small price to pay to keep a child out of the emergency room.”

Safe Kids Kansas, Inc. is a nonprofit Coalition of 67 statewide organizations and businesses dedicated to preventing accidental injuries to Kansas children ages 0-14. Local coalitions and chapters are located in Allen, Anderson, Atchison, Clay, Coffey, Dickinson, Doniphan, Douglas, Elk, Ellis, Finney, Ford, Franklin, Geary, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Labette, Leavenworth, Marion, Marshall, McPherson, Meade, Mitchell, Montgomery, Osage, Pottawatomie, Republic, Rice, Riley, Saline, Smith, Shawnee, Wabaunsee, Wilson and Woodson Counties, as well as the cities of Chanute, Emporia, Leavenworth, Norton, Pittsburg, the Wichita Area and the Metro Kansas City Area. Safe Kids Kansas a member of Safe Kids Worldwide , a global network of organizations whose mission is to prevent accidental childhood injury. The lead agency for Safe Kids Kansas is the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. For more information visit www.kansassafekids.org.