Fire Prevention Week

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
Sally Herrholz
Safe Sitter, Inc.
8604 Allisonville Road, Suite 248
Indianapolis, IN 46250
Phone: (800) 2554089 ext. 11
www.safesitter.org
sally@safesitter.org

SAFER BABYSITTERS, SAFER HOMES

OUR BABYSITTER TRAINING MAKES A LIFESAVING DIFFERENCE

Indianapolis, IN ─ According to the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA), eight out of 10 people killed in a fire in the United States die in one that has occurred in a home. During the week of October 511 and throughout the month, the public is being urged by the NFPA to take steps to protect themselves and their homes by learning about how to prevent home fires and take action.

This is why some fire departments now offer the Sitter® babysitter training program for 11- to 13-year -olds as part of its public safety education.

Well trained babysitters can play an important role in preventing lifethreatening situations, or help lessen the danger of such situations by knowing how to appropriately react if and when they occur. By teaching SafeSitter® to the adolescents in our community, we are helping them learn how to manage their surroundings and the behavior of the children they are charged with protecting, including how to stay calm in potential crisis situations.

"Teaching Safe Sitter® is the best way to reach young adolescents ─ it expands on what they learned when they were younger," said Stephanie Martindale, a CPR and Safe Sitter Instructor from the Brownsburg Fire Territory in Indiana. "I like teaching them that there are things to do besides call 911."

The Safe Sitter® program reaches an age group that is often missed with many fire and EMS public education programs and is an at risk group for fire and nonrelated injuries. As part of the self contained and easy to teach curriculum, adolescents learni nfant and child CPR, choking child rescue, first aid, behavior management and personal safety, among other skills.

"Safe Sitter® is a long term investment in reducing emergency calls, "said retired Illinois fire chief and consultant Debra J. Jarvis, "It's good community outreach. Parents love the program. They feel safer knowing their children are better prepared to take care of their siblings and the children they babysit."

The program also helps parents become more safety conscious themselves and seek out babysitters who have had the lifesaving training, Jarvis added.

Founded in 1980 by Patricia A. Keener, M.D., a nationally recognized, and board certified pediatrician, the Safe Sitter® program has taught 500,000+ adolescents lifesaving and behavior management techniques at over 900 Safe Sitter® teaching sites across the country.

For more information on SafeSitter®, visit www.safesitter.org or call (800) 2554089.