Date Posted:  10/28/99

COLUMBUS, OHIO (October 28, 1999) -- The Ohio Department of Public Safety (ODPS) announced today that is now the lead agency for the Ohio SAFE KIDS (OSK) Coalition.  The Division of Emergency Medical Services’ EMS for Children will coordinate lead agency activities.  The goal of the Coalition is to prevent unintentional injuries to children 14 years and under.  The state coalition will coordinate activities between the 18 local Safe Kids Coalitions to accomplish this task.

The coalition focuses its efforts on the top five risk areas for children: traffic injuries (passenger, pedestrian and bicyclist), fires and burns, drowning, choking and poisoning, and falls.  In the past five years, local coalitions throughout Ohio have developed and implemented four strategies for child safety activists:  bike helmet and bike safety awareness; scald burn prevention; residential fire detection; and child passenger safety.

“Unintentional injury is a leading cause of death to children under the age of 14,” said Lt. Governor Maureen O’Connor, Director of the Ohio Department of Public Safety.  “By taking on the status of lead agency for the Ohio Safe Kids Coalition, we hope to utilize the resources and expertise of our department to reduce the number of children who are dying needlessly each year in Ohio.”

As its first official act as lead agency, the Ohio Department of Public Safety hosted the Ohio Safe Kids Coalition Annual Meeting today.  The meeting focused on assessing what local coalitions and chapters need from the lead agency, and setting priorities and plans for the year 2000.  The meeting was held at the Ohio Department of Public Safety, Charles D. Shipley Building.

Visit the ODPS on the World Wide Web at:  http://www.state.oh.us/odps.