Fireworks Safety tips from TPD

The Tucson Fire Department is appealing to all Tucson Citizens to be responsible this year and not participate in illegal fireworks. There are many alternative ways to celebrate America's birthday besides the use of dangerous, unpredictable and illegal fireworks.

"Remember, you are not only endangering your children and homes but those of your neighbors as well” says Fire Chief Dan Newburn. “Please weigh the severe risk with the benefits of a few moments of entertainment.”

During July, the emergency room has its share of visits from injured kids – broken bones from falls, cuts and abrasions from bike crashes, and bruises from playing sports. What we might not expect to see are toddlers with major burns on their faces or kids who have lost a hand or eye – all as a result of fireworks.

Families across the nation will celebrate the Fourth of July with picnics, outings to the beach and neighborhood bar-b-ques. Above all, fireworks displays will be the highlight of Fourth of July festivities.

Unfortunately, these exciting and fun festivities can quickly turn into tragedies. Every year, more than 5,000 children ages 14 and under are treated in emergency rooms for fireworks-related injuries, and children 10 to 14 account for most of these incidents. Nearly 75 percent of these injuries occur during the month surrounding the Fourth of July. Sparklers, while often considered the safest type of fireworks, join firecrackers and rockets as those causing the bulk of emergency room-treated injuries.

Many parents and caregivers over-estimate their children’s ability to handle fireworks, creating a dangerous environment for everyone involved. Fireworks-related injuries usually involve the hands/fingers, eyes or head and can sometimes result in amputations, blindness and/or even death.

“Fireworks historically have been an important part of a Fourth of July celebration for kids, yet each year hundreds of kids are permanently disfigured or worse due to burns caused by fireworks that ended up in the wrong hands, ” said Tucson Fire Department Deputy Chief Randy Ogden. “Please remember that this year it is even more important that parents set an example and not participate in illegal fireworks”.

Homemade or illegal fireworks are extremely dangerous and should never be used by your family.

Tucson Police Officers and Tucson Fire Department Fire Prevention Inspectors will be on duty during the evening hours and will actively cite individuals lighting illegal fireworks… and all fireworks are illegal within the City limits of Tucson.

The Tucson Fire Department recommends that parents take this opportunity to discuss the following with their families:

• Tell children that they should leave the area immediately if their friends are using fireworks and tell an adult.
• Discuss fire safety with your children. Teach children to “stop, drop and roll” if their clothes catch fire. Make sure they know how to call 9-1-1.
• Never place your face or any other body part over fireworks.
• Never try to re-ignite fireworks that malfunction.
• Never carry fireworks in your pocket.

The Tucson Fire Department recommends these important guidelines to help keep your Fourth of July festivities enjoyable and safe. Don’t let dangerous sparks stand between your family and a wonderful Fourth of July celebration. For additional information contact Deputy Chief Randy Ogden @ 791-4502

Survival stories of few strong kids!

 

- A ten year old girl survives an abduction attempt, runs off with her brother...click here

-Watch a young girl fight for her life and prevent a horrible abduction...click here.

-A 14 year old Phoenix teen protects his siblings during a home invasion.....click here.

-A small four year old saves the lives of his Grandparents during a house fire...click here.

-Watch as a thirteen year old takes action on a school bus to save lives....click here.

Why have a Good Photo of Your Child?

One of the most important tools for law enforcement to use in the case of a missing child is... an up-to-date, good-quality photograph.

Noted below are some tips for parents and guardians regarding such a photograph.

The photograph should be:

• a recent, head-and-shoulders color photograph of the child in which the face is clearly seen.
• of "school-portrait" quality, and the background should be plain or solid so it does not distract from the subject.
• in a digitized form and available on a compact disk (CD), as opposed to just a hard copy. This minimizes the time necessary to scan, resize, and make color corrects before disseminating it to law enforcement.
• an accurate depiction of the child, not overly posed or "glamorized." Nor should other people, animals, or objects be in the photograph. The photograph should not be taken outside, out of focus, torn, damaged, or very small.
• have space below is for a narrative description to Identify the childs name, nickname, height, weight, gender, eye color, marks, moles, braces and glasses.
• updated at least every six months for children 6 years of age or younger and then once a year, or when a child's appearance changes.
• All copies of child's photograph and information should be maintained in an easily accessible, secure space by the parents or guardian.
• The photograph and data should not be stored in a public database.

How to be a Great Dad - 12 Awesome Tips

From: zenhabits.net

It is my lifelong goal to be the best dad possible, and while there are many ways I can still improve, I think I’m a pretty great dad already, when I sit back and think about it. I know there are some readers who are just starting out in their careers as dads, and this post is for you.

How can you be a great dad? As always, my list of tips:

~Put their interests first, always. Do you enjoy drinking or smoking? Guess what — it’s not good for them, and you’re setting an example with everything you do. I quit smoking about 18 months ago not for my sake, but for my kids. Now, it is still important to take care of yourself (otherwise you can’t take care of them), but you should still have them in mind.

~Protect them. As a dad, one of your main roles is protector. There are many ways you need to do this. Safety is one: child-proof your home, teach them good safety habits, set a good example by using your seatbelt, make sure they use a car seat if below a certain age & weight, etc. But financial protection is also important: have life insurance, car insurance, an emergency fund, a will.

~Spend your spare time with them. When we get home from work, often we’re tired and just want to relax. But this is the only time we have with them during the weekdays, often, and you shouldn’t waste it. Take this time to find out about their day, lay on the couch with them. On weekends, devote as much time as possible to them. While work may be your passion, it won’t be long before they’re grown and no longer want to spend time with you. Take advantage of these years. The thing kids want most from their dads is their time.

~Give them hugs. Dads shouldn’t be afraid to show affection. Kids need physical contact, and not just from their moms. Snuggle with them, hug them, love them.

~Play with them. Go outside and play sports. Do a treasure hunt. Have a pillow fight. Play Transformers or Pokemon with them. Don’t just watch TV. Show them how to have fun.

~Do the “mom” stuff. Things that are traditionally considered “mom” duties are not just for moms anymore — changing diapers, feeding, bathing, rocking them to sleep in the middle of the night. Dads should help out as much as they can, sharing these types of duties equally if possible. And in fact, if you’re a dad of a baby, this is the perfect time to bond with your child. You should leap at the chance to do these things, because that’s how you start a life-long close relationship with your child.

~Read to them. This is one of the most important things you can do for your child. First of all, it’s so much fun. Kids books are really cool, and it’s great when you can share something this wonderful with your child. Second, you are teaching them one of the most fundamentally important skills (reading) that will pay off dividends for life. And third, you are spending time with them, you’re sitting or lying close together, and you are enjoying each other’s company.

~Stand by mom. Don’t contradict their mother in front of them, don’t fight with her in front of them, and most definitely don’t ever abuse her. How you treat their mother affects their self-esteem, and the way they will treat themselves and women when they grow up. Be kind and respectful and loving of their mother. And always work as a team — never contradicting statements of the other.

~Teach them self-esteem. Maybe this should be No. 1. Well, these aren’t in any order, but this is one of the most important points. There is nothing you can do that is better than giving them high self-esteem. How do you do this? A million ways, but mainly by showing them (not telling them) that you value them, by spending time with them, by talking and listening to them, by praising things they do, by teaching them (not telling them) how to be competent. Praise and encourage, don’t reprimand and discourage.

~Teach them about finances. This is a point often missed in articles about dadhood. You might not need to teach your 1-year-old about index funds or portfolio diversity, but from an early age, you can teach them the value of money, how to save money to reach a goal, and later, how earn money and how to manage money properly. You don’t want your child to go into the world knowing as little as you did, do you?

~Be good to yourself. You shouldn’t give up your entire life when you become a dad. You need to take care of yourself, give yourself some alone time, and some time with your buddies, in order to be a great dad when you’re with your kids. Also take care of your health — eat healthy, exercise — because 1) you can’t take care of your kids if you’re sickly, 2) you are teaching your kids how to be healthy for life, and 3) you want to enjoy those grandkids someday.

~Be good to the mom. This isn’t the same as No. 8 — you should be good to their mom even when they’re not looking. Take her to dinner, give her a massage, do chores around the house for her, give her some time alone and take care of the kids while she goes out, show affection to her, give her little surprises. Because when mom’s happy, the kids are happy. And dad will be happy too!

Congratulations radKIDS Graduates!

March 9th was the last day of our Feb/March radKIDS course and we would like to congratulate our recent graduates! We are so proud of you for how well you did in simulation with Mr. Al! We have received some pictures from our Cupcake Mom, Gloria and we'll send you each one for your memories.

Check out our group pictures below:

Remember, you may return anytime before your 13th birthday to repeat and refresh your radKIDS techniques. And please spread the word about this program to any children and parents who you know.