Tag Archives: families

General Safety Issues

TRAGEDY MARS CELEBRATION FOR WOUNDED WARRIORS AND THEIR FAMILIES

 Owners of U.S. flags in Midland, Texas, have been asked by the mayor of Midland to fly them at half-staff until Monday, to honor the memory of the four Wounded Warriors that lost their lives in a parade/train wreck Thursday, November 15.  It was all planned to be a celebration, with two floats being pulled by 18-wheelers, all decorated with the names of the veterans.  The day’s event, including the parade, had been organized by Show Of Support, a local veterans group. The parade was scheduled to end at a “Hunt for Heroes” banquet honoring the veterans, who were then to be given a deer-hunting trip over the weekend. The events were canceled. 

Four of those killed were veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, including an Army sergeant who saved his wife’s life, by pushing her from the float.  Another vet, also lost his life, but saved his wife.  Those who were in wheelchairs were unable to escape injury.  Along with the four military veterans who died Thursday, seventeen more were injured.  Some have been released from the hospital, but one remains in critical condition.  There were 26 people on the flatbed when it was struck, police said.

Witnesses report that the train was going around 60 mph, (below the speed limit) when it hit the float.  There was so much noise from sirens, etc., that it is unsure that the participants even heard the trains’ whistle, and that the traffic arms came down on the first riders on the second float, according to reports. 

The National Transportation Safety Board will do a full investigation into the accident.  Questions raised included were the permits and everything in order, was the railroad notified in time, and if the timing of the crossing gates was changed to give vehicles time to cross the tracks.  They also are considering that the town’s traffic lights caused the driver of the first truck to slow down, not allowing the second one to cross soon enough.  The black box on the train will answer many questions.  Late Thursday, Union Pacific spokesman Tom Lange told reporters that a preliminary investigation indicated that the crossing gate and warning lights at the tracks were working. He said he did not know if the train crew saw the float.  Deborah Hersman, NTSB chairwoman, said the train was equipped with a forward-facing camera, which could provide images to help in the investigation.

Midland Mayor Wes Perry and pastors Patrick Payton and Roy Smith are scheduled to host a community prayer vigil for the victims and their families, officials said. Midland is about 300 miles west of Dallas.

According to officials, the parade was traveling westbound on Wall Street when it turned south on Garfield Street, crossing the train tracks. The last two floats in the parade were carrying the veterans and their spouses.

Our military and their families make sacrifices every day for us.  This celebration of their contributions turned into a very sad day for Americans.  Remember these brave persons and all who serve, both at home and abroad.  With Thanksgiving coming up, say an extra “thank you” for our military heroes and their families, who wait for their return home.

General Safety Issues

OCTOBER IS CRIME PREVENTION MONTH 2012

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October is Crime Prevention Month and nothing is more important than crime prevention for people of all ages, including college students, young adults, and folks of all ages.  Blog4Safety’s main focus is safety; therefore, we want you to know how important your involvement in crime prevention is.   

Crime Prevention Month has a long and proud history of community projects and events organized by and aimed at all members of the community – kids, teens, seniors, volunteers, business people, and people in the work place.  Crime Prevention Month is dedicated to all the good work that has been done in crime prevention in the previous year and recognizes all those whose work has helped prevent crime before it happens and made our communities safer. But it also looks to the future – intended to motivate people to reach out, to think more, and do more to keep themselves, their neighbors, and their communities safe and stop crime in its tracks. 

College students and young adults, who tend to be open to new ideas and great purposes, are ideal audiences for this message.  To help make people aware of Crime Prevention Month, NCPC has prepared a sample Crime Prevention Month Proclamation that student body presidents, university deans and presidents, crime prevention and law enforcement personnel, civic leaders, and lawmakers can use to have October adopted as Crime Prevention month. Just go to www.celebratesafecommunities.org to get a copy. 

There isn’t a single strategy solution that will work for all types of businesses and places of education, but potential risks of workplace violence should be identified and corrective measures implemented.  Colleges and universities should investigate threatening situations reported by students, regardless of how trivial they may seem.  Students should be encouraged to be observant and cautious as they go about their everyday activities.

 For the fourth consecutive year, the National Crime Prevention Council, with support from the U.S. Department of Justice will mark Crime Prevention Month with Celebrate Safe communities (CSC) to unite people in a spirit of cooperation to keep their communities safe by preventing crime.  CSC is open to holding events throughout the year, spreading the message that crime prevention is everyone’s business each day of the year.  Some events are safety fairs, visits by McGruff, the Crime Dog, tours of fire departments, sheriff’s offices, police stations, and rescue demonstrations. 

Protect America also is helping spread awareness of crime and crime prevention by supporting National Crime Prevention Month.  Throughout October, government agencies and civic organizations will help educate the public while drawing attention to improvements in crime prevention. The ultimate goal of National Crime Prevention Month is to positively effect change at one of three levels: family, neighborhood, and community.

Protect America has long supported National Crime Prevention Month but the company is increasing its efforts to raise crime prevention awareness. While the larger crime rate has dropped nationally, reported instances of burglary have increased over the past year, according to statistics from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Burglary was the only category of crime that increased during 2011, the FBI reports.

October is also National Cyber Security Awareness Month, for the ninth straight year. For its part, the FBI is strengthening its cyber operations to sharpen its focus on the greatest cyber threats to national security: computer intrusions and network attacks. But every American who uses digital technologies at home or in the office can—and must—play a part in cyber security.
 Are You the Weakest Link?   Since last October, the threat has continued to grow even more complex and sophisticated. Just 12 days ago, in fact, FBI Director Robert Mueller said that “cyber security may well become our highest priority in the years to come.”  For its part, the FBI is strengthening its cyber operations to sharpen its focus on the greatest cyber threats to national security: computer intrusions and network attacks. We are enhancing the technological capabilities of all investigative personnel and hiring additional computer scientists to provide expert technical support to critical investigations. We are creating two distinct task forces in each field office: Cyber Task Forces, focused on intrusions and network attacks that will draw on our existing cyber squads; and Child Exploitation Task Forces, focused on crimes against children. We are also increasing the size and scope of the National Cyber Investigative Joint Task Force—the FBI-led multi-agency focal point for coordinating and sharing cyber threat information to stop current and future attacks.

The FBI also runs several other cyber-related programs, including the Innocent Images National Initiative—which combats online child predators—and the Internet Crime Complaint Center—a partnership between the Bureau and the National White Collar Crime Center that serves as a clearinghouse for triaging cyber complaints and provides an easy-to-use online tool for reporting these complaints.

Because of the interconnectedness of online systems, every American who uses digital technologies at home or in the office can—and must—play a part in cyber security. For example, if you open a virus-laden e-mail attachment at work, you could infect your entire company’s computer network. Don’t be the weakest link: get educated on cyber safety.

Follow these basic steps for added security:

  • Set strong passwords, and don’t share them with anyone.
  • Keep a clean machine—your operating system, browser, and other critical software are optimized by installing regular updates.
  • Maintain an open dialogue with your family, friends, and community about Internet safety.
  • Limit the amount of personal information you post online, and use privacy settings to avoid sharing too much information widely.
  • Be cautious about what you receive or read online—if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Ignore the emails that say you have won something; or inherited zillions of dollars—after you send them your banking info. Delete that message quickly!

Let’s all do our part to keep our neighborhoods and communities safe.  Protect your valuable possessions, such as televisions, DVR’s and other electronics by marking and taking pictures of them in order to help identify them if stolen.  Another safety tip: hanging a purse on the back of a chair in a restaurant is an open invitation for a pickpocket to help himself/herself.  Find a safe way to secure it while you are enjoying your meal.

Source: Protect America; National Crime Prevention Council; and FBI

General Safety Issues

OUR HEARTFELT THANKS TO YOU!

I think everyone is amazed by the way this year, 2010, has flown by!  The holiday travel season will begin with Thanksgiving Eve, on November 24th.  Travel time from Thanksgiving Eve through New Year’s Eve is very busy and carries the warnings from State Patrols throughout the nation to drive with care, buckle up, and don’t text and drive or drink and drive, as this is a very deadly time of the year for traffic accidents.

We want to thank each one of you who take the time to read our Blog4Safety.com.  It is our hope that you have found some of our helpful ideas useful in keeping you and yours a little safer.  We try to touch on a variety of topics by focusing on work, home, play, and driving safety, as well as keeping our children safe.  Hundreds of people are already buying or thinking about buying Christmas gifts, to avoid the rush.  When you make purchases for children, be sure that you pick toys that are safe.  We will have plenty of time later to talk about Christmas, so let’s just talk about this week’s holiday. 

Too many times, it seems that Thanksgiving gets overlooked, when the real commercial success in the U.S. jumps from Halloween to Christmas.  But this particular day is a time to stop and be thankful for the things we share – for freedom to worship as we choose, for the gathering of families to enjoy each other’s presence, and the “presents” are just being together.  It is also a time to pause and be thankful for the memories of parents, grandparents, and other family members who made our holidays so special.  We are also grateful for friends, who are  another of life’s gifts that grow more valuable as the years go by.

Many of you have sent in very nice comments, which we really appreciate.  We were asked to write an article on head protection for an international safety magazine, Health & Safety International,  this year, which was truly an honor.  A few safety websites have exchanged ideas with us, and it’s been fun to compare notes and safety suggestions from different points of view. 

By the way, if you are one of those super shoppers that just can’t resist the bargains on “Black Friday,” be careful!  People will be rushing to get those good deals, so don’t get in their way!  A spokesperson for the National Retail Federation reports that although it is the busiest shopping day of the season, it usually is not the highest in sales.  The past couple of years, the Saturday before Christmas topped Black Friday purchases.  Many persons enjoy getting out and seeing what’s out there in the way of good prices.  If you are a brave soul, and that is your cup of tea, go for it!  (I think I will play it safe and stay home and shop online “Cyber Monday!”)    Whatever you choose to do, stay safe!

Once again, we wish you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving Day!  Stay with us for more safety tips from Blog4Safety!