Follow-Up to the Safety Webinar Series

By Heidi Cooley-Cook

Fire Prevention Month is October and I encourage each of you to reach out to your local fire departments to acquaint yourselves with them and provide an opportunity for your loved one affected by autism to meet a firefighter and review the Safety Webinar Series. Below is some additional information that you may find helpful with regards to safety!

Major Gosper, Lexington Fire Department, shared a great video for First Responders - created for Montgomery County Pennsylvania. Take a moment to view it and share with First Responders in your community. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnua3jeek30

Please remember to contact your local police, fire, and EMS departments and provide them with information about your loved one affected by autism. Be sure to update this information annually or sooner if you move, change phone numbers, new or different medical condition(s), or a significant change in loved one’s physical appearance.

Many communities participate in Smart 911 - go to their website www.smart911.com and input your zip code to see if Smart 911 is in your town. Smart 911 allows you to provide details on your family and home. When a call is made from a phone tied to your Safety Profile, the information you have provided is shared with emergency responders.

The KATC has awareness brochures available for First Responders - Law Enforcement, Firefighters, and EMS Personnel. Print from the KATC website: http://louisville.edu/education/kyautismtraining/about/katc-publications.html or contact us and we will send you a set of brochures to share in your community.

In the webinar series, many safety devices were discussed. I have since learned of Buddy Tag - www.mybuddytag.com The BuddyTag is a child safety device that alerts you when your child is out of your proximity using Bluetooth technology. Buddy Tag does not utilize GPS, so may not be right for all situations/environments. The water safety feature alerts you when the Buddy Tag is submerged in water for more than 5 seconds.

What is your community doing to proactively keep its residents with autism safe? Does your community have a Fire Prevention or Safety Day planned? Let us know how we can help!

Heidi Cooley-Cook

Family Field Training Coordinator

Kentucky Autism Training Center

502-852-6401

heidi.cooleycook@louisville.edu

Heidi Cooley-Cook is a Family Field Training Coordinator for the KY Autism Training Center where she provides direct training and technical assistance to families.

KY Autism Training Center Summer 2014 Newsletter August 2014