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About Siletz news / (Siletz, OR) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 1998)
v Siletz News Editorial Page rage 3 Air bag safety for children and adults CATHY RASM USSEN, RN Community Health Director Federal safety standards require that all new passenger cars and light trucks be equipped with both driver and passenger side air bags by 1999. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that air bags have saved 2600 lives as of October 1997. Despite the overall benefit of air bags, they do pose risks for both children and adults. Stay out o f "The Inflation Zone" Air bags deploy at speeds up to 200 mph, and the most force is applied in the first 2-3 inches of inflation, with 10 inches being the minimum safe distance for adults and older children. Infant & Child Airbag Safety Deaths and serious injury from air bags is a preventable tragedy. In particular, improperly restrained and unrestrained infants and children are at risk when pre-crash braking throws your child against the dashboard near the air bag location. The inflating air bag and its plastic cover can impact your out-of-place child with enough force to the head and heck to cause death. U nfortunately, NHSTA surveys indicate" that aS Yhany 'hS’ 35 percent Of young children ride unrestrained. If anything is worth a fight with your toddler, insisting he/she remain restrainedis! Other important points regarding children and passenger-side air bags: REAR-FACING CAR SEATS Infants in rear-facing car seats are at extremely high risk o f severe injury or fatality from the rapid inflation of a passenger-side air bag. NEVER put an infant in a rear-facing safety seat in the front seat of a motor vehicle with a passenger side airbag! „Note: Many parents have con cerns about placing their infants in the back seat irt a rear-facing car seat. The American Academy of Pediatrics stresses that the risk of serious injury in a crash is much greater than the risk of a healthy baby having a life-threateriing health problem during a car ride. FORWARD-FACING CAR SEATS Infants and toddlers in forward- facing safety seats are several inches closer to the dashboard than the normal adult seating position and are safest in the back seat of your vehicle. If it is absolutely necessary for a child in a forward-facing safety seat to be ■irt the front seat with a passenger- side airbag, the vehicle seat should be adjusted as far back as possible from the dashboard. OLDER CHILDREN The NHTSA recommends that all children under the age of twelve sit in the rear seat. If children must sit in the front seat, several steps should be taken to ensure their safety: 1) Restrain children properly with a lap/shoulder belt (plus booster seat for younger children); 2) Adjust the vehicle seat as far back as possible to maximize the distance between the child and the airbag; and 3) Have the child sit with his/back against the seat back, not wiggling around or leaning forward, arid with minimal slack in the seatbelt to prevent forward movement in a crash situation. Adult Airbag Safety Adults (including smaller- stature women) are at low risk of passenger- and driver-side airbag injury provided they are restrained by a seatbelt and they maintain a minimum distance of 10 inches between the airbag cover and the center of their breastbone. If you now sit less than 10 inches away, you can adjust your driving position in several ways: 1) Move seat toward the rear; 2) Recline back of seat; and 3) Tilt steering wheel down toward chest instead of toward head and neck. Airbag O n-Off Switches On-Off switches allow con sumers to preserve the benefits of airbags while minimizing their dangers. Switches have been available since January 19, 1998. People who fit into, one of four risk profiles, or who transport someone in one of the profile groups, may obtain switches: 1) Those who cannot avoid placing rear-facing infant seats in the front passenger seat; 2) Those who have a medical condition that places them at specific risk; 3) Those who cànnot adjust their driver's, position to keep back 10 inches from the steering wheel; and 4) Those who cannot avoid situations - such as a carpool - that require children 12 or under to ride in the front seat. On-Off switches can be requested from the NHTSA by completing a form available at auto dealerships, repair shops, and state motor vehicle offices. For more information regarding air bag safety, call the NHTSA's Auto Safety Hotline at 1-800-424- 9393 or v isit. their website at http:'/ / Www.rihtsa.dot.gov. Meet the Employment Services Program staff TONI QUINCY ESP Program Director The Employment Services Pro gram currently has a team of 13 hard-working, dedicated workers.- All of the team members have been taking on some very large projects for the past six months. Each member has been required to attend trainings provided by the State AFS personnel, as well as State Support Enforcement person nel. Much of the training that our team members have received has been to train on the TANF program manual, as well as the TANF program rules, guidelines and procedures. Our team is structured -to ensure quality service to all clients who are seeking any one of the services that we offer. In our four different offices we have the following individuals to assist you with Employment Services:, Siletz Office _______________ Wilma Strong, Tribal Services Specialist; Nancy Simmons, Tribal Services Specialist; Joella Strong, Tribal Services Assistant; Shelley Upchurch, ESP Clerk; Toni Quincy, ESP Director Telephone: (541) 444-2532 / 1-800-922-1399 Siletz Administration Building: 201 SE Swan Siletz, OR 97380 Salem Area Office______________ Randy Butler, Tribal Services Specialist; Ticey Casey, Tribal . Services Specialist; Theresa Mike, Tribal Services Assistant. , • ? I Telephone: (503) 390-9494 3789 River Road N, Suite D Keizer, OR 97303 Springfield Area Office_________ Laurie Brown-Godfrey, Tribal Services Specialist; Lou Carey, Tribal Services Specialist; Laurel Bowser, Tribal Services Assistant. Telephone: (541) 746-9658 ; , 188 West B, Bldg P Springfield, OR 97477 Portland Area Office____________ Diane Robertson, Tribal Services Specialist; Angela Ramirez, Tribal Services Assistant. Telephone: (503) 238-1512 I 3715 SE 39th Portland, OR 97202 Please feel free to contact our Tribal Services Assistants if you have any questions about our program or any services that may be lacking within your community Over the past seven months, the Employment Services Program has had many successes. Our clients are completing their educational goals, completing training, secur ing E q u ality employment for themselves and their families. It takes many individuals on the sidelines to make this happen for our clients. Oftentimes, a client may need all of the services that are offered at the Tribal level, as well as services from the county and state levels. Our goal for each client is to create a plan that is representative .o f . their.; current, immediate needs, as well ast their long-term goals for becoming self- sufficient. Within Our program we are able to assist individuals with many services that are truly unique within the tribal structure. ESP continually seeks out additional-, funding sources to ; allow us to- provide greater and more-extensive services-, to , ©iir client population. We anticipate additional funding in 1998 to assist with additional needs and services to those clients who are receiving Tribal TANF, so they will be able to have longer work experience or more on-the-job training. With each additional hour of training a client receives, there is another step towards self-sufficiency. Addition ally, Tribal TANF has made us aware of the need for greater follow-up services after a client has become employed. We currently keep in contact with clients who have obtained employment, solely for the purposes of ensuring that they will be successful in whatever they encounter while at their place of employment. Again, please contact your local ESP staff if you have questions, concerns, or especially if you would like to make an appoint ment with one of our Tribal Services Assistants.
