Stay Safe in Rodney

Originally posted on www.rodney.govt.nz  on the 26th of August 2010.

Local Fire Services, ACC and the Rodney District Council have joined forces to make Rodney safer for children.

Safety New Zealand Week runs from August 30 – September 5 and during the week fire services within Rodney will be visiting childcare providers around Rodney to deliver 2,000 safety at home information packs for children and their families.

Within Rodney, a particular focus on safety around hot water has been adopted for the week.

Nationally, an average of 1,100 children were admitted to hospital with burns each year from 2004 and 2008.  Around half of the burns sustained by children admitted to hospital aged 1 and 2 are due to hot drinks or hot liquid.   Young skin burns more quickly and deeply than adult skin and at lower temperatures.  A cup of hot tea spilled over a baby is equivalent to a bucketful of boiling water tipped over an adult.

“Children under the age of five have the highest incidence of burns of all types.  Hot object and hot substance burn injuries occur most frequently in children younger than five years of age,” says Vaughan Mackereth of the New Zealand Fire Service, who is the Silverdale Senior Station Officer. 

The information delivered to children will include information pamphlets about hot water safety, fire safety, safety in the home brochures, firewise balloons, stickers and vouchers for discounts on smoke detectors.

The Silverdale Fire Service is planning to deliver the packages in person to childcare facilities in their area in their Fire Truck.  
Local Fire Services, Rodney District Council and ACC are working jointly on the project.

ACC is encouraging people to make one simple change in safety week to make their homes safer.  Their website www.homesafety.co.nz has lots of information about how to do this and also has an online home safety quiz.

Rodney District Council is involved in a range of activities aimed at helping to improve the safety of local residents.  Examples of recent safety initiatives include the development of School Travel Plans to allow children to get safely to and from schools, the introduction of School safety zones to reduce traffic speed outside schools and other traffic safety initiatives.