What is Risk Watch?
 Risk Watch is the first comprehensive injury prevention
program designed for use in classrooms. Linking teachers with community safety experts
and parents, Risk Watch effectively teaches kids and their families the skills and
knowledge they need to be safe from the areas they're at greatest risk to unintentional
injuries.
The Risk Watch curriculum is divided into five
teaching modules (Pre-K/Kindergarten, Grades 1-2, Grades 3-4, Grades 5-6, and Grades
7-8), each of which addresses the following topics:
Risk Watch was designed for maximum flexibility so that
injury prevention can be taught as a stand-alone unit or easily integrated into
core curriculum subjects such as health, language arts, or physical education. Each
module includes eight lesson cards that feature a lesson plan with objectives, preparation,
and materials needed, as well as step-by-step procedures to conduct a focused classroom
activity. The modules also contain: a set of warm-up exercises and tips to help
students step into character roles; cross-age learning activities; evaluation instruments;
and a series of fun activities designed to help students practice their injury prevention
skills.
Why focus on unintentional injuries?
In the U.S., unintentional injuries are more fatal to children than drugs and disease
combined, annually killing nearly 6,000 kids and permanently disabling nearly 120,000.
In Canada, injuries are the leading cause of death for children over one year of
age.
However, NFPA firmly believes that the traffic injuries, drownings, fires, scald
burns, chokings, poisonings, and falls suffered by children each year are not random
"accidents;" they are predictable and preventable. With education, motivation,
and the support of caring adults, children can learn to be much safer.
Why San Bernardino County Fire
Department?
In 2001-2002 San Bernardino County Fire Department received a grant to introduce
Risk Watch as a pilot program into one classroom for each grades K-8 into one elementary
School – Michael D’Arcy in Fontana and two private middle schools –
Bloomington Christian and Fontana Christian. The pilot program has ended an San
Bernardino County Fire is looking forward to introducing this wonderful curriculum
into more schools within San Bernardino County Fires jurisdictional area.
The wonderful part is that there is no cost incurred by the schools, it is through
donations and sponsorship from the community that County Fire will be able to provide
this critical element of safety to the children of San Bernardino County. The components
found in Risk Watch are the same as Safe Kids which is another organization that
County Fire has partnered with in the Inland Empire to reinforce the safety messages
of unintentional injuries to children.
The National SAFE KIDS Campaign, the first national non-profit organization dedicated
solely to the prevention of unintentional childhood injury, was launched in 1988
to address what was then a little recognized problem: More children under age 14
were dying from what people call “accidents” (motor vehicle crashes, fires
and other injuries) than from any other cause.
The Campaign’s co-founder and president, Dr. Martin Eichelberger, believes
there is no such thing as an "accident" and that unintentional injuries
can be prevented. Dr. Eichelberger and Herta Feely, co-founder and former executive
director of the Campaign, joined together to enlist the support of corporations,
government agencies and the health and safety community to reduce the incidence
of childhood injury. Former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, M.D., Sc.D., came
on board as chairman of the Campaign.
The Campaign’s aim is to stimulate changes in attitudes, behavior and the environment.
From its inception, the Campaign has relied on developing injury prevention strategies
that work in the real world –– conducting public outreach and awareness
campaigns, stimulating hands-on grassroots activity and working to make injury prevention
a public policy priority. This ongoing actionable strategy accounts for the tremendous
progress the National SAFE KIDS Campaign has made.
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Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of unintentional
injury-related deaths for children 14 and under.
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Children under five and adults over 65 have the highest
fire death rates in the United States.
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In 1999, 661 children ages 14 and under died from airway
obstruction injuries. Choking (food and nonfood) resulted in 184 deaths in children
14 and under.
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Each year in the U.S., nearly 100 children die from
poisoning, and more than 1 million are injured by poisonous substances.
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Each year, more than 2.5 million children ages 14 and
under are treated in hospital emergency room for fall-related injuries.
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In 1998, 121 children ages 14 and under died from unintentional
firearm injuries, primarily during recreational activities or at home.
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In 1998, 203 children 14 and under were killed in bicycle-related
incidents. In 1999, more than 382,000 children were injured.
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In 1998, 1,003 children ages 14 and under drowned.
For every drowning there are four near-death drownings resulting in hospitalization.
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It is the goal of San Bernardino County Fire Department
to have available, to all schools within County Fire’s jurisdiction, the Risk
Watch curriculum. The curriculum is teacher based and provided free of charge to
any school. County Fire seeks out community partners to help provide funding for
this critical resource to the children.
If you are interested in helping promote this program, please contact us at 909.386.8472.
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