Tag: palsaveskids

Pending Winter Storm Prompts Attention To Free Pop-A-Lock “PALSavesKids” Program

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Pending Winter Storm Prompts Attention To Free Pop-A-Lock “PALSavesKids” Program

 

As the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions prepare for what some forecasters are already calling a record snow storm, Pop-A-Lock, the country’s largest security company, reminds parents and emergency organizations about its popular PALSavesKids program that directs regional franchisees and technicians to prioritize calls that involve unattended children in locked cars.

350,000 Children Saved From Locked Vehicles Since Program Inception

The goal of the PALSavesKids program is to prevent vehicular hypothermia and educate caregivers about the program through interaction with customers and the distribution of educational materials to organizations supporting caregivers and children, and through social media.

“We launched this program in 1991 to educate caregivers about the severe dangers of leaving children in unattended vehicles or mistakenly locking a child in an automobile,” said Pop-A-Lock Chief Executive Officer Don Marks.  “By using our expertise in the security industry, we are able to quickly and efficiently remove children from harm.  This program provides our franchise with the opportunity to thank the communities that have supported our business for so many years.”

Aimed at supporting local police and firefighters, the program instructs parents or other concerned citizens to first call 9-1-1 and then call 1-800-Pop-A-Lock.

The Pop-A-Lock technician nearest to the scene will prioritize the call to arrive as soon as possible to unlock the child from the automobile.  This free community service program has saved over 350,000 children since its launch 25 years ago.

Even though children may not be directly exposed to the snow and wind chill, they are still at risk for hypothermia if left in unattended vehicles. The following facts highlight the dangerous severity of leaving children in locked vehicles where they can fall victim to the quick onset of hypothermia:

  • Smaller body size and an inability to make enough body heat through shivering puts children at higher risk of hypothermia and frostbite when exposed to cold conditions.
  • According to the Drive Steady Advocacy Group, children left in cold cars can suffer frostbit, or hypothermia if their body temperature drops below 95ºF.. Signs of hypothermia include shivering, confusion, memory loss, drowsiness, exhaustion, poor coordination, slurred speech, and numbness. Children may have trouble communicating these symptoms.
  • Car seats and wearing restrictive clothing can actually increase the risk and worsen the chances of hypothermia in young children.
  • In addition, during winter months snow can block an automobile’s exhaust pipe, which mean parents or caregivers who leave the car on for their children to stay warm are still putting them at risk for carbon monoxide poisoning.

To prevent vehicular hypothermia from occurring, the PALSavesKids program includes a call-to-action: “PALSaves 1-2-3” that reminds caregivers to “look before you lock” by: 1-Stopping; 2-Looking; and then 3-Locking.

PALSavesKids’ mascot, PAL Super Dog, also offers gentle reminders to caregivers to always look in the backseat before leaving the vehicle.  Specific recommendations to prevent locking children in automobiles include:

  • Keep vehicles locked at all times; even in the garage or driveway and always set your parking brake.
  • Put something you’ll need like your cell phone, handbag, employee ID or briefcase, etc., on the floorboard in the back seat.
  • Keep a large stuffed animal or favorite toy in the child’s car seat when it’s not occupied. When the child is placed in the seat, put the stuffed animal or toy in the front passenger seat. It’s a visual reminder that anytime the stuffed animal or toy is up front you know the child is in the back seat in a child safety seat.

For more information about Pop-A-Lock Jacksonville or PALSavesKids Emergency Door Unlock Program, visit popalockofjacksonville.com/pal-saves-kids/ and follow us on Facebook (@JacksonvilleLocksmith) and Twitter (@popalockjax).

Halloween Safety Tips for Your Child

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Halloween Safety Tips for Your Child

 

Walk Safely

  • Cross the street at corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks.
  • Look left, right and left again when crossing and keep looking as you cross.
  • Put electronic devices down and keep heads up and walk, don’t run, across the street.
  • Teach children to make eye contact with drivers before crossing in front of them.
  • Always walk on sidewalks or paths. If there are no sidewalks, walk facing traffic as far to
    the left as possible.  Children should walk on direct routes with the fewest street crossings.
  • Watch for cars that are turning or backing up. Teach children to never dart out into the street or cross between parked cars.

Trick or Treat With an Adult

  • Children under the age of 12 should not be alone at night without adult supervision. If kids are mature enough to be out without supervision, they should stick to familiar areas that are well lit and trick-or-treat in groups.

Keep Costumes Both Creative and Safe

  • Decorate costumes and bags with reflective tape or stickers and, if possible, choose light colors.
  • Choose face paint and makeup whenever possible instead of masks, which can obstruct a child’s vision.
  • Have kids carry glow sticks or flashlights to help them see and be seen by drivers.
  • When selecting a costume, make sure it is the right size to prevent trips and falls.

Drive Extra Safely on Halloween

  • Slow down and be especially alert in residential neighborhoods. Children are excited on Halloween and may move in unpredictable ways.
  • Take extra time to look for kids at intersections, on medians and on curbs.
  • Enter and exit driveways and alleys slowly and carefully.
  • Eliminate any distractions inside your car so you can concentrate on the road and your surroundings.
  • Drive slowly, anticipate heavy pedestrian traffic and turn your headlights on earlier in the day to spot children from greater distances.
  • Popular trick-or-treating hours are 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. so be especially alert for kids during those hours.

Source information: safekids.org

Prevent Leaving Your Child in Car

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Prevent Leaving Your Child in Car

It can happen to anyone. A child dies in a vehicle after being locked inside. This tragedy typically occurs when a parent or caregiver makes a change in their routine. The parent that normally drives the child to their activities has a schedule change, causing the other parent to take over the chauffeur responsibility. When someone is not accustomed to handling this responsibility, a lapse in memory can occur. Depending on the weather conditions, a child locked in a vehicle may experience hypothermia or heat stroke.

Child locked in car
Continue reading “Prevent Leaving Your Child in Car” →

Pedestrian Safety for Your Kids

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Pedestrian Safety for Your Kids

 

Pedestrian Safety

Teach kids to make eye contact with drivers before crossing the street.

Whether your kids are walking to school, the park or a friend’s house, here are a few simple tips to make sure they get there safely.

Unintentional pedestrian injuries are the fifth leading cause of injury-related death in the United States for children ages 5 to 19. Teenagers are now at greatest risk. Teens have a death rate twice that of younger children and account for half of all child pedestrian deaths.

  • Teach kids at an early age to look left, right and left again before crossing the street. Then remind them to continue looking until safely across.
  • Teach kids to put phones, headphones and devices down when crossing the street. It is particularly important to reinforce this message with teenagers.
  • It’s always best to walk on sidewalks or paths and cross at street corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks. If there are no sidewalks, walk facing traffic as far to the left as possible.
  • Children under 10 need to cross the street with an adult. Every child is different, but developmentally, most kids are unable to judge the speed and distance of oncoming cars until age 10.
  • Be a good role model. Set a good example by putting your phone, headphones and devices down when walking around cars.

 

Hypothermia: Potential Risk to Children This Winter

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With the start of winter just around the corner, safety thoughts turn to keeping warm and driving safely in wintry conditions. However, as temperatures drop, the growing concern of parents leaving children in locked cars – normally associated with the summer heat – becomes just as serious an issue in the freezing winter months. Pop-A-Lock, the country’s largest security company, wants parents and caregivers to be informed about the extreme, and some times fatal, dangers of locking a child in a vehicle accidentally during frigid winter temperatures through our free PALSavesKids program that aims to prevent vehicular hypothermia.

The following are some facts about the severity of leaving children in locked vehicles and the quick onset of hypothermia:

  • Smaller body size and an inability to make enough body heat through shivering put children at higher risk of hypothermia and frostbite when exposed to cold conditions.
  • According to the Drive Steady Advocacy Group, children left in cold cars can suffer frostbite, or hypothermia, if their body temperature drops below 95 degrees F. That can happen all too quickly. Signs of hypothermia include shivering, confusion, memory loss, drowsiness, exhaustion, poor coordination, slurred speech, and numbness. Children may have trouble communicating these symptoms.
  • The child tied in their car seat and wearing restrictive clothing can actually be risk factors to worsen their chances of hypothermia.
  • During winter months, snow can block an automobile’s exhaust pipe, meaning parents who leave the car on for their children to stay warm are still putting them at risk for carbon monoxide poisoning.

Pop-A-Lock Jacksonville will focus on the dangers of leaving children in unattended vehicles and educate caregivers about the company’s PALSavesKids Program through interaction with customers, distributing educational materials to organizations supporting caregivers and children, and through social media. Aimed to support local police and firefighters, the program educates parents to first call 9-1-1 and then call 1-800-Pop-A-Lock.  The Pop-A-Lock technician nearest to the scene will leave all other priorities aside to arrive as soon as possible to unlock the child from the automobile.  This free community service program was originally launched in 1991 and since then has saved over 350,000 children.

To prevent vehicular hypothermia from occurring, the PALSavesKids program includes a call-to-action: “PALSaves 1-2-3.” The “1-2-3” reminds caregivers to “look before you lock” by: 1-stopping; 2-looking; and then 3-locking.

PALSavesKids’ mascot, PAL Super Dog, is a gentle reminder to caregivers to always look in the backseat before leaving the vehicle. Specific recommendations to prevent locking children in automobiles include:

  • Keep vehicles locked at all times; even in the garage or driveway and always set your parking brake.
  • Put something you’ll need like your cell phone, handbag, employee ID or briefcase, etc., on the floorboard in the back seat.
  • Keep a large stuffed animal or favorite toy in the child’s car seat when it’s not occupied. When the child is placed in the seat, put the stuffed animal or toy in the front passenger seat. It’s a visual reminder that anytime the stuffed animal or toy is up front you know the child is in the back seat in a child safety seat.

“We launched this program in 1991 to educate caregivers about the severe dangers of leaving children in unattended vehicles or mistakenly locking a child in an automobile,” said Don Marks, CEO of Pop-A-Lock.  “By using our expertise in the security industry, we are able to quickly and efficiently remove children from harm.  This program provides our franchise with the opportunity to thank the communities that have supported our business for so many years.”

Pop-A-Lock Launches Educational Awareness Series To Support Caregivers With Essential Tools to Keep Children Safe

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What Every Parent Needs To Know About Summer Safety

With the start of summer, thoughts turn to the school year’s end, family vacations and swimming in the community pool.  However, in addition to typical safety concerns that most parents share – such as wearing sunscreen, bug bites and talking to strangers – Pop-A-Lock wants parents and caregivers to be informed about:

  • Keeping “latch-key” children safe and secure during summer vacation while their parents are at work;
  • Keeping one’s home secure while on summer vacation; and
  • The extreme – and sometimes fatal – dangers of locking a child in a vehicle during soaring summer temperatures.
pal saves kids
PAL Saves Kids, a FREE Emergency Door Unlock Program

 

The PALSavesKids Program is aimed to support local police and firefighters, and the program educates parents to first call 9-1-1, and then call 1-800-Pop-A-Lock.  The Pop-A-Lock technician nearest to the scene will leave all other priorities aside to arrive as soon as possible to unlock the child from the automobile. This free community service was originally launched in 1991 and since then has saved thousands of children. The following are some daunting facts about the severity of leaving children in locked vehicles:

The Department of Earth and Climate Sciences at San Francisco State University cites that: “Last year, 2013, there were at least forty-four deaths of children in vehicles; thirty-nine of which have been confirmed as heatstroke and five which, based upon the known circumstances, are most likely heatstroke.”

Since 1998, media reports about the total 606 child vehicular heatstroke deaths shows the following circumstances:

  • 52% – child “forgotten” by caregiver (316 Children)
  • 29% – child playing in unattended vehicle (175)                                                 
  • 18% – child intentionally left in vehicle by adult  (108)
  • 1% – circumstances unknown (6)

To prevent these situations from occurring, Pop-A-Lock’s PALSavesKids program includes a call-to-action:“PALSaves 1-2-3.”

The “1-2-3” reminds caregivers to “look before you lock” by:

  • 1-stopping;
  • 2-looking; and then
  • 3- locking.  

PALSavesKids’ mascot, PALS Puppy, is a gentle reminder to caregivers to always look in the backseat before leaving the vehicle.  Specific recommendations on using the PALS Puppy as a visual reminder are noted in the campaign’s “PALSaves 1-2-3” Tips Sheet.  The following is an excerpt:

  • Keep vehicles locked at all times; even in the garage or driveway and always set your parking brake.
  • Put something you’ll need like your cell phone, handbag, employee ID or brief case, etc., on the floorboard in the back seat.
  • Keep a large stuffed animal or favorite toy in the child’s car seat when it’s not occupied. When the child is placed in the seat, put the stuffed animal or toy in the front passenger seat. It’s a visual reminder that anytime the stuffed animal or toy is up front you know the child is in the back seat in a child safety seat.

“We launched this program in 1991 to educate caregivers about the severe dangers of leaving children in unattended vehicles or mistakenly locking a child in an automobile,” said Don Marks, CEO of Pop-A-Lock.  “By using our expertise in the security industry, we are able to quickly and efficiently remove children from harm.  This program is one of the numerous ways we give back to the community.”

 For more information about Pop-A-Lock, Pop-A-Lock’s Summer Safety Educational Awareness Series, or the PALSavesKids Emergency Door Unlock Program, please visit: http://www.popalock.com/ and follow us on Facebook and Twitter (@popalock).

Keep Your Kids Safe in Summer Heat

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It can be tempting to leave a baby alone in a car while we quickly run into the store. And sometimes, babies and young kids can sleep so peacefully that we forget they are even there. The problem is that leaving a child alone in a car can lead to serious injury or even death from heatstroke.

Save your baby from heatstroke
Save your baby from heatstroke

Heatstroke is the leading cause of non-crash, vehicle-related deaths for children. On average, every 10 days a child dies from heatstroke in a vehicle. Young children, in particular, are at risk as their bodies heat up three to five times faster than an adult’s. Tragedies like these are completely preventable. Below is a short guide to help keep your kids safe from heatstroke.

Reduce the number of deaths from heatstroke by remembering to ACT, according to Safe Kids Worldwide.

A: Avoid heatstroke-related injury and death by never leaving your child alone in a car – not even for a minute. Also, make sure to keep your car locked when you’re not in it so kids don’t get in on their own.

C: Create reminders by putting something in the back of your car next to your child such as a briefcase, a purse or a cell phone that is needed at your final destination. This is especially important if you’re not following your normal routine.

T: Take action. If you see a child alone in a car, call 911. Emergency personnel want you to call. They are trained to respond to these situations. One call could save a life.

Remember, in an emergency call 9-1-1, then call Pop-A-Lock Jacksonville at  904-246-4590. PAL Saves Kids, our free community emergency door unlock program can rescue your child who is accidentally locked in your vehicle.

The Dangers of Leaving your Pet in a Hot Car

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It’s starting to heat up outside. This beautiful weather means more time on the go with the pups. Remember that their bodies react much differently to heat than ours. PALSavesKids will always unlock.

Call Pop-A-Lock to save your dog locked in a hot car

Instead of sweating like humans, dogs cool themselves by panting and sweating through their paws. Stuffy cars and hot upholstery can hinder your dog’s cool-down process. A dog’s body temperature can climb from normal to deadly levels in as little as 15 minutes.

Warning Signs of Heat Stroke:

  • Heavy Panting
  • Lethargy
  • Lack of Coordination
  • Diarrhea
  • Profuse Salvation
  • Vomiting
  • Rapid Pulse
  • Red Gums and Tongue

If your dog or a stranger’s dog is locked in a vehicle, call your Pop-A-Lock Jacksonville at 904-246-4590 and a trained locksmith will come out and unlock the vehicle.