PMD 1996 or “…of course I can find data…I’m a consultant…”
Last updated on March 3rd, 2018 at 12:54 pm
Gather data??? No problem…that’s what I do…and I’m pretty good at it. …or at least I thought I was. But I didn’t really know the EMS market – especially for a pediatric product…and I was soon to find out no one else did either.
I started with what I thought was a pretty good list of some very basic questions:
I. General Market Insights:
II. Pediatric “Emergencies” (1994+)
Truth be told there were more questions on my list, but you get the idea. It seemed like this would be a good place to start. So armed with my questionnaire I started my research. Unfortunately at this point the internet was still in its infancy. While today you could type in “ambulance crash child transport” and get tens of thousands of references, back then the results barely registered.
My luck didn’t get any better by phone…I tried the American Ambulance Association and was referred to a nurse at the Walter Reed Hospital who referred me to an editor at JEMS magazine (an EMS trade publication) who referred me …and referred me…and so on. The list was endless…and no matter who I contacted no-one had the information I was looking for. What amazed me was the difficulty I was having even finding “the basics” – i.e. the number of ambulances in the US…and the number of crashes they had – forget trying to locate anything pediatric specific.
It wasn’t that the people I encountered weren’t helpful. The basic fact was the information was not available because it wasn’t being gathered. No-one was tracking the number of ambulance crashes taking place in the US primarily because no-one was reporting them. And why would they??? The only crashes required to be reported were the ones that resulted in a fatality. It would not in fact be until late 1999, with the creation of an internet site called EMS Network News that we would finally see how “big of a deal” the issue of ambulance crashes truly was. In the meantime, I was beyond frustrated – feeling like I had failed before I’d even begun. Still I had made a promise that I wasn’t quite willing to let go of… so I made a decision – a leap of faith so to speak, that this was (or would be) something that really mattered once people finally knew about it. I hoped for the best …and jumped. …thanks for listening…
Air Travel Safety for Kids
Last updated on March 3rd, 2018 at 01:19 pm
The Yapta Blog is an online site for comments and ideas concerning travel-related situations for the travel industry. In an article on air travel and child safety dated May 28, 2010, Jeff Pecor wrote that the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) was recommending that infants and young children flying on airplanes, be strapped into their own safety seat to protect them in case of air turbulence or a survivable crash.
Though not enforceable, and just a suggestion for now, the NTSB is hoping that at some time in the future, steps would be taken to make it a requirement that anyone traveling with a young child would have to purchase a seat for that child and secure him/her in a safety harness. If they are successful in their mission, no longer would anyone be allowed to fly while holding a child in their lap. If turbulence causes the plane to suddenly lose altitude, that child could become a projectile and be seriously injured. It could be that and worse if the plane is involved in a crash and the unrestrained child is thrown a distance from the crash site. It appears to me, that a very important part of providing protection for our youngest citizens has virtually been ignored for a long time.
I appreciate the fact that Mr. Pecor has brought the information from the NTSB to our attention, and by doing so, has shown a spotlight on the inadequacy of the airline industry to make available to young children, the same protection from injury accorded to that child’s parents.
It’s a very small leap that brings my mind to another industry with a similar deficit in its ability to protect the young children in its care. I’m referring to a vocation where the saving of lives can be, and often is, an everyday occurrence. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) is far behind in being able to offer the safe transport of children with equipment that is specifically designed and sized for pediatric patients. And even though the equipment is available, no state or federal agency has stepped up to the plate to do whatever it takes to support it, test it, and make it available. It’s very scary when you consider the number of children being transported unprotected in the passenger compartment of a speeding ambulance, flying through intersections on a daily basis. I am left questioning why the NTSB has, to my knowledge, neither lobbied for, nor put pressure on Congress to enact laws that specifically regulate how care is administered to infants and young children in the rear compartment of an ambulance.
I believe that both situations call out for the correction of a serious deficit in the way children are transported; one, as a passenger on a plane, two, as a passenger in an ambulance or other rescue vehicle.
Both situations require immediate action and new regulations. There are children’s lives at stake.
Brecker Bunny Safety Books
Last updated on August 31st, 2015 at 12:11 am
You don’t leave the hospital with an instruction manual on how to protect your child…you learn only by doing. I would do anything to not have learned this lesson the way we did, but it is our reality. Laying on the hospital gurney, cradling my 21-month-old, I sang our favorite lullaby, “Gentle Breeze” through tears. I tried to wish 
away the moment, but his screams and cries of, “Mama hurts, mama hurts” kept me firmly grounded in the heartbreaking reality…this was happening…and it was happening to my baby. All the wishing and singing could not ease his pain.
On April 6, after returning home from a walk, I received a frantic call from my husband. He was in the ER. Our son had been badly burned in the tub. Now, my initial thought, before I reached the hospital, was that it couldn’t be too bad. Like all concerned parents, upon moving into our newly constructed home, we made sure to have our son’s tub installed with a device to prevent him from turning the water on too hot. We also had asked to have our water temperature set appropriately. After seeing our son in the hospital, I knew something had gone horribly wrong.
In the time it normally takes for our son to go upstairs and get his blanket and then come back down, my husband heard screams. Rushing up the stairs with our one-week-old in his arms, my husband found our son sitting in our master bath whirlpool tub, crying frantically as the skin peeled away from his legs and feet. His diapers and overalls provided some insulation for the rest of his body, but his feet were horribly damaged. After three weeks in the hospital and skin grafts, our son was allowed to come back home. But care was not over. He had compression socks for over a year and another surgery as well. And the time it took for this to happen?
Less than 10 seconds…
After careful investigation, it was discovered that our water temperature was set above 135 degrees Fahrenheit, which can cause third degree burns for a child in 10 seconds. At 126, third degree burns can occur in under two minutes. Legally, all water heaters must be set by the manufacturer at 125 degrees Fahrenheit, however, it is best if temperatures are set at 110 when there are small children in the house.
Sitting in the hospital and feeling helpless and like a failure did nothing to help Breck or heal the emotional wounds my husband and I had, so we began the process of reaching out. What could we learn? What could we do to teach our child and ourselves about safety? We were disappointed by what we found. We decided to do something about it.
It became our family’s mission to find out the top reasons why toddlers get burned and create a book that was a bedtime story with a purpose. Brecker Bunny Learns to Be Careful was born. It is the loving collaboration between burn nurses and doctors at University of Madison Hospital and Clinics , Wisconsin Alliance for Fire Safety (WAFS) www.wafs.org and me, the mom. After meeting with experts from the Burn Center in January of 2005, much research, finding an illustrator, a partner (WAFS), funds, a printer, and learning the publishing ropes, the first printing of Brecker Bunny Learns to Be Careful! A Lesson in Fire and Burn Safety was handed out to survivors and supporters at the WAFS Camp for Burn Survivors in August of 2007.
To date we have delivered over 120,000 of this title alone. We printed it in Spanish and Brecker has a lighter safety book called Brecker Bunny Asks for Help too! Next on the agenda…the rest of the safety series: water safety, passenger safety, bicycle safety, even stranger danger. All books with real lessons, about real kids (now bunnies), made easy and fun to read at bedtime. I wish that my Breck never had to experience his burns, but seven years later, my eight year old has helped to keep many children a little safer…and he even has the thank you letters to prove it!
HEALTHFUL HINTS
1. Tips when reading a safety book:
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Sit in close proximity with your child while reading. A snuggle goes a long way to help children’s brains chemically calm making them more receptive to what they are learning.
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Choose one to three things to emphasize each time you read a safety book. To stop and point something out on every page is confusing and overwhelming.
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Don’t be afraid to get up and move the book. Most kids and adults learn best by moving their lesson. If you are learning to stay three feet away from a fireplace…pace of three feet and practice.
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Make children partners in safety, rather than merely the recipient of the lesson. Look for opportunities to ask them how they can make a room or situation safer.
2. Tips on Burn Safety in and around the home (based on the top 3 accidental reasons toddlers in my area end up in the Burn Centers):
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Keep children 3 feet away from stoves, ovens and microwaves. There are so many children in burn clinics who have been scalded by caramel, coffee or hot water spilling as it comes out of the microwave. Usually these burns occur on little ones’ faces.
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DO NOT TRUST YOUR HAND TO TAKE THE TEMPERATURE OF THE BATHTUB! Test your water temperature by holding a water thermometer or candy thermometer under the stream of water after it has had the opportunity to heat up. If it is over 120 degrees Fahrenheit, change your water heater immediately. Consider setting the temperature below 110 degrees Fahrenheit if you have very young children or elderly people in your home. Their skin is thinner and easier to burn. Also, it is more difficult for them to get out of tubs quickly to avoid a burn.
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Candles and fireplaces should never be allowed to burn unattended.
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Keep a three foot rock perimeter around campfires and do not allow children within the ring. I get letters from moms telling me that they thought if they were standing next to their child, the child would be safe; yet, one quick trip or fall and hands and feet can end up in a fire.
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Most importantly, stay vigilant. Periodically do safety checks around your house. There are many great checklists online and of course, in the back of Brecker Bunny!
Be Bunny Buddies and keep your family safe!
Distracted Driving – Don’t Risk It
Last updated on December 27th, 2019 at 02:38 pm
No doubt. We live in a busy, hectic and connected world. I can stay in touch with anyone from virtually anywhere. Unfortunately this also includes while driving and this practice is commonly referred to as distracted driving. Distracted driving places us all at risk. Distracted driving has become so common place and had resulted in so many traffic mishaps- collisions and fatalities that the federal government has launched a new website to help educate us all with the hope of curtailing the practice. This new site states that:
There are three main types of distraction:
- Visual — taking your eyes off the road
- Manual — taking your hands of the wheel
- Cognitive — taking your mind off what you’re doing
It further states that texting while driving involves all three. Many states have outlawed talking on a cell phone while driving without the use of a hands free device. States are also quickly moving to outlaw texting while driving. Look at your text messages are they really that important? Are they worth risking your life or the life of another. Will you risk your life, the life of your child or whether your child grows up with a parent because you are talking about weekend plans.
Don’t wait for laws to chance or be enforced. Do what’s right- right now.
Is This Toy Safe?
Last updated on March 9th, 2018 at 12:18 am
In 2008 Congress passed the first major overhaul of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) since its creation. The new compliance laws provided for tough new bans on lead and phthalates, required larger printed warning messages on toy packaging, cracked down on smaller toy pieces that could choke a child and greatly improved CPSC’s ability to monitor and hold wrongdoers accountable. Toy vendors were required to be fully compliant as of this past February.
Toy recalls have dropped dramatically from 2007 when 45 million toys and other children’s products were classified as unsafe. Still there is no magic bullet to instantly make ALL toys safe. With that in mind, the US Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) published its 24th Annual Report on Safety for the Toy Industry with guidelines to help parents in purchasing toys for little ones. It also provides examples of toys that may pose potential safety hazards.
The main areas in the report concentrate on choking hazards, excessively loud toys, and toxins like lead and phthalates in children’s products. Key findings:
CHOKING HAZARDS
The law bans small parts in toys for children under three and requires an explicit, prominent warning label on toys with small parts for children between the ages of three and six. In addition, balls with a diameter smaller than 1.75 inches are banned for children under three years old. Unfortunately choking on small parts, small balls and balloons remains a leading cause of toy related deaths and injuries. In 2009 alone, 5.3 million toys and other children’s products were recalled due to choking hazards.
TIPS FOR PARENTS:
- Avoid small toys or parts of toys that can fit entirely into a toilet paper tube.
- Avoid small balls and round objects. Balls should be at least 1.75” in diameter for children under three.
- Avoid cylindrical pieces of toys that can lodge in a child’s airway.
- Balloons and pieces of balloon can completely block a child’s airway. Never give balloons to children under 8. Mylar balloons are a safer alternative.
- Avoid hand me down hazards – keep toys for older kids away from young children.
LOUD TOYS
Almost 15 percent of children ages 6 to 17 show signs of hearing loss. Noise-induced hearing loss can be caused by a one-time exposure to loud sound as well as by repeated exposure to sounds at various loudness levels over an extended period of time.
In March 2007, the American Society for Testing and Materials adopted a voluntary acoustics standard for toys, setting the loudness threshold for most toys at 85 decibels, and for toys intended for use “close to the ear” at 65 dB.
TIPS FOR PARENTS:
- If a toy seems too loud for your ears, it is probably too loud for your child. Don’t buy it.
- Toys used close to the ear (like toy cell phones) should not be louder than 65 decibels, measured from 10 inches away. More info here.
- Other toys should not be louder than 85 decibels measured from 10 inches away.
- For “loud toys” you already own: take the batteries and/or cover the toy’s speakers with tape.
TOXINS
Exposure to lead can affect almost every organ and system in the human body, especially the central nervous system. Lead is especially toxic to the brains of young children. Despite the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) bans, in 2009 the CPSC has recalled nearly 1.3 million toys or other children’s products for violations of the lead paint standard and an additional 102,700 toys and other children’s products for violation of the 300 ppm lead standard.
According to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), levels of phthalates found in humans are higher than levels shown to cause adverse health effects. The data also show phthalate levels are highest in children. Still despite a CPSIA ban, 2 toys were found this year that exceeded the maximum phthalate levels.
TIPS FOR PARENTS:
- Keep costume/novelty jewelry away from young children.
- You can screen a piece of jewelry or toy for lead using a home lead tester available at the hardware store. (This is a screening method, and should not be relied upon as a definitive test.)
- Check www.recalls.gov for recalled toys.
- Avoid plastic toys labeled as “PVC” They often contains phthalate softeners. Look for toys labeled “phthalate-free.”
- Choose cloth or unpainted wooden toys instead of soft plastic toys.
- Read the labels of play cosmetics and avoid products with xylene, toluene or phthalates.
- Avoid plastic bath toys or bath books.
For parents concerned about toxin exposure, the “Absolute Greatest Guide to Green Gifts for Kids” from Healthy Child Healthy World and www.HealthyStuff.org can be excellent resources
WHAT’S A PARENT TO DO?
The CPSC is one small agency and there are numerous new toys produced every year in the US…as well as imported from other countries. Unfortunately that means that CPSC is not able to test all toys, and not all toys on store shelves meet CPSC standards. This also means that there is no comprehensive list of potentially hazardous toys. There are things however that a safety conscious parent can do:
- Examine toys carefully for potential dangers before you make a purchase. US PIRG’s annual survey of toy safety should come in handy if you need an example of a dangerous toys for any of the categories mentioned.
- Shop with U.S. PIRG’s Toy Safety tips noted above in each section.
- Report unsafe toys or toy-related injuries to the CPSC
As always, in the end, it comes down to you and I being vigilant in the toys we purchase. Hopefully the tips we’ve provided can be of some help…for the holidays…and beyond.
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References:
- “Safe toys help make the season bright”, 12-23-09, Devin Monk
- “Trouble in Toyland: The 24th Annual Survey of Toy Safety, 11-24-09, by US PIRG
- Toy Safety, by USPIRG
Making Changes for Safety
Last updated on March 3rd, 2018 at 02:54 pm
Now that we had 3-Dimensional pictures, it enabled us to make any necessary changes to make transporting children the safest way possible…
The most important one was going from a 3-POINT HARNESS…or this
to this…a 5-POINT HARNESS that allowed for a single strap to be detached rather than the entire harness, so if necessary it would allow a medical technician access to injuries without risking a child’s safety
Another change of critical importance was ADDING A BACKBOARD specifically designed to fit this seat. EMS personnel needed to be able to safely immobilize and transport a child with severe head or neck injuries to an emergency care facility, transfer the injured child into their care and then depart to handle the next emergency. Without a backboard, we soon discovered this was not possible. The child could be secured directly to the device, but then the device would need to remain behind…along with all the pediatric medical supplies stored in its compartments. The safest path for the child and best for the EMS staff was for us to add a backboard to the design…so that’s what we did.
