GAINESVILLE, FL — It seems to be more important now than ever before to be aware of stroke prevention. We are in the middle of Stroke Awareness Month, a time that our nation has dedicated to raising stroke prevention awareness.

According to information from the stroke.org website, up to 80 percent of all strokes are preventable. I find this to be an encouraging statistic. But it can only be so if we take advantage of the month to both teach others and to practice preventive methods ourselves.

Netwellness.org reports that strokes are the nation’s third leading killer and the leading cause of adult disability. The ailment strikes as many as 700,000 Americans a year, killing over 200,000 and permanently impairing hundreds of thousands more.

Perhaps knowing what a stroke does to the brain will increase the urgency for greater participation in prevention. Netwellness.org refers to a stroke as a “brain attack.” The term is frequently used by health professionals to identify what happens when the blood supply to the brain is interrupted. This can happen, according to this site, because a blood vessel has been ruptured or is blocked, which means the brain tissue beyond the blockage dies from a lack of blood.

During an attack, bodily functions controlled by the part of the brain where the blockage has occurred are lost and therefore unable to function. Therefore, the person suffering a brain attack may experience paralysis, memory loss or loss of speech.

The negative impact a “brain attack” has on all members of our population is quite significant, but its effect on African Americans is significantly more devastating. In any given year, 100,000 African Americans will have a stroke, the third leading cause of death for African Americans.

Because researchers list the occurrence of high blood pressure as high as 40 percent among African Americans and attribute its occurrence as a risk factor for stroke, finding ways to control or prevent strokes is a good place to start.

This, of course, is another opportunity to look at your diet. Does it contain more carbohydrates than it does green vegetables, fruit and fiber?

Don’t forget that, along with a healthy diet, comes exercise. Strengthening the heart muscle through cardiovascular activities will lower the possibility of a clot, which might be formed in the heart and travel to the brain.

Health experts contend that the use of tobacco products doubles the risk of having a stroke. There are several programs in our area that offer help with stopping the use of tobacco. The “Smoke Cessation” program at the Alachua County Health Department may be the answer you are seeking.

Diabetes is another risk factor. Weight gain and a lack of exercise are related to this disease condition as well. Taking care of your diabetes by following your prescribed plan of action is one way to reduce your risk.

The use of alcohol has been listed as another risk factor. Generally, the recommendation is that it is best not to drink at all, but if you do decide to drink you should set limits as to what is safe by talking with your health care provider.

Next to consider is the impact of family history on the potential to have a stroke. Everydayhealth.com suggests that if a close relative, like a parent, grandparent or sibling, has had a stroke, the risk of having one increases.

The concept of a “brain attack” is designed to alert us all to the fact that this condition is an emergency that requires the same urgency as a heart attack. If you or the person you are with have any of the symptoms below, you should call 9-1-1 immediately. They are:

• SUDDEN numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body.
• SUDDEN confusion, trouble speaking or understanding.
• SUDDEN trouble seeing in one or both eyes.
• SUDDEN trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination.
• SUDDEN severe headache with no known cause.

In order to remember how to respond to someone who you suspect is having a stroke, the recommendation from stroke.org is that you remember the word F-A-S-T:

• F is for face: Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the mouth drop?
• A is for arm: Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
• S is for speech: Ask the person to repeat a simple phrase. Is the speech slurred or strange?
• T is for time: If you observe any of these signs, call 9-1-1 immediately.

With new medications that are effective if they are given within the first three hours following the first symptom or symptoms, it is extremely important that we follow the FAST plan of action.

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“I was guilty of it at some point,” said Longmont police and fire communications supervisor Jason Hay.

He said he gave an old cellphone with no service to his son, who called 911 with it.

Most cellphones, even without service, are capable of calling 911 as long as there is a battery and a bit of a charge.

Longmont dispatcher Laura Randolph said she has received up to 25 to 35 calls in a single shift from an out-of-service cellphone and fields two or more in an average shift.

“If we are really busy it can cripple us,” Randolph said.

While it may not sound like a problem, it certainly can be.

Dispatchers are obligated to try to determine whether every call into 911 is an actual emergency. This can mean pleading with a child on the line to give the phone to an adult or attempting to call back. However, out-of-service phones cannot receive calls from 911.

While this process unfolds, real calls to 911 may be delayed. Longmont has eight lines to 911 at all times, but fewer dispatchers staff those phones. If two dispatchers are handling non-emergency 911 calls, then real calls for real emergencies might be delayed, Hay said.

Randolph said in one instance the child called back to taunt her.

Notably, a child does not have to actually dial 911 with many cellphone models, on which emergency buttons or holding down the “9″ button will dial for emergency help.

The city produced a short public service announcement featuring children of local emergency service workers pleading with adults to please remove batteries from old cellphones before letting children play with them.

Robin Ericson, assistant to Longmont Public Safety Chief Mike Butler, said parents sometimes leave the batteries in so children can enjoy the lights and sounds.

On May 12, Longmont officials will be at the Walmart Supercenter at Colo. Highway 66 and U.S. Highway 287 to collect old out-of-service cellphones to be donated to local women’s shelters. Anyone who exchanges a cellphone used as a toy by a child will receive a Disney-brand toy cellphone in exchange. Walmart donated the toys.

A 30-second version of the locally produced PSA will run on Comcast 260 times during May, as well. Ericson said it appears as though the local campaign to inform parents about the 911 issue with old phones is unique.

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HENNEPIN COUNTY, MN — In recognition of National Public Safety Telecommunications Week, the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office is advising residents to review safety information concerning 911 calls.

When calling 911 from most cities in Hennepin County, residents will speak with a dispatcher at the sheriff’s office 911 Communications Center, located in Golden Valley. The Sheriff’s Office 911 center is one of the largest consolidated dispatch centers in the Upper Midwest. In 2011, the Sheriff’s Office handled approximately 592,000 calls which include calls to 911.

Parents/Caregivers/Children: Tips for calling 911

• Familiarize your child with how your telephones operate. Different telephones and cell phones
• require different steps in order to reach 911 or even a dial tone.
• Write down your address & display it in your home. Your children, babysitters, and other visitors
• need to know your street address for a 911 call.
• Designate an emergency telephone in your home. Many households have eliminated traditional
• “landline” phones. Don’t waste precious minutes searching for a cell phone or dealing with a dead
• battery. Cordless, landline phone are often misplaced. If children or people with health issues live
• in your home, consider designating a phone for emergency calls or consider keeping a landline
• telephone and ensure it is ready for use.
• Speak clearly and calmly. This simple advice is extremely difficult to do for both children and
• adults during an emergency. Ask your child to practice repeating location information in a clear,
• calm voice.

General: Tips for Calling 911

• Program your address for VoIP. If you use Voice over Internet Protocol, please program your phones with your address and make location updates if you take your phone with you during travel. Contact your service provider for information. Otherwise, be aware that your address may not be apparent to dispatchers when you call 911 and be ready to provide accurate location information.
• Calling from a cellular phone may require more location information. There may be times when your exact location may be more difficult for dispatchers to determine if you call 911 from a cell phone. Dispatchers will ask additional questions about your location.
• Provide an exact location. If you are driving a vehicle and witness an emergency, please pull over
• to a safe location prior to calling 911. If you don’t have an address, provide the dispatcher with a
• description of landmarks such as a water tower or a mile marker.
• Do not hang up until told to do so. Answer all questions that you are asked.
• Call back if your situation changes. Dispatchers will assist in assessing the situation and will send more help if needed.

When to call 911

When should you call 911? Are there situations when should call a non-emergency number for police instead? The best advice is to use your good judgment. If you believe that a situation exists that needs an urgent response, please call 911 and dispatchers will ask questions and assist you. When in doubt, call
911 and dispatchers will assist you with assessing your situation.

Below are a few examples of emergencies that require a 911 call. This is not a comprehensive list.

• When you see a fire or smoke
• When you see a crime being committed or you become a victim of a crime
• Life-threatening situations or threats of harm
• When you see suspicious activity and that may be connected to a crime or homeland security concern
• When there is the need for an ambulance
• Vehicle accidents
• When your home burglar alarms or fire alarms are sounding – and you believe the alarm did not sound accidentally
• When an injury or illness results in someone being unconscious

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The festivities will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the southwest corner of Reagan Park.

“It’s just for awareness of 9-1-1,” Anderson County Sheriff Greg Taylor said. “They’re going to do some fingerprinting for the kids. They’re going to teach kids how to use 9-1-1 and when to use it.”

In addition to his agency’s dispatchers, Taylor said representatives of the Texas Forest Service; Texas Parks & Wildlife Department; Palestine Fire Department; and area volunteer fire departments are expected to attend, in addition to characters such as McGruff, Smokey the Bear, Sparky and Rede Fox.

“Of course, the kids will be able to interact with the heroes there,” Taylor said. “It’s just going to be a day of education and fun for the little kids. I’m really proud of my dispatchers wanting to put this on.”

A snowcone machine also will be available.

“If the small children can tell them where they live — an address — they’ll get a free snowcone,” Taylor said. “It’s important for a child to be able to tell where they live.”

Fire trucks from various volunteer fire departments throughout Anderson County also will be display “for the children to look up in and around,” while the Palestine Fire Department is scheduled to have its “Smoke House” on hand.

“They can teach the kids what to do if their house is on fire,” Taylor said.

Saturday’s event also will provide the public with an opportunity to meet the sheriff’s dispatchers.

“It gives the grownups and kids the ability to put a name to a face when they call dispatch,” Taylor said. “I’d like to see a lot of people come out and meet the dispatchers.”

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HARRIS COUNTY, TX — April is National 911 Education Month. Greater Harris County 911 Emergency Network (GHC 9-1-1) announces that throughout the month of April, movie goers will begin seeing a new public education message at area wide cinemas, including AMC Deerbrook 24. Also, in support of 911 Education Month, GHC 9-1-1 is working with the Houston Public Library and area wide school districts to distribute 20,000 bookmarks and educational materials.

The Help Us Help You commercial will be shown at movie theaters throughout Brazos, Galveston, Fort Bend, Harris, and Montgomery Counties. In honor of 911 Education Month-Harris County Judge Ed Emmett has signed a proclamation declaring April 2012 as “National 911 Education Month.”

Also, the Harris County 911 Emergency Dispatch Center will be disseminating public awareness messages throughout the month of April on its Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Harris-County-9-1-1-Emergency-Dispatch/422130070607

“During times of crisis, callers are generally under high stress and, may get confused about what to do,” said Lavergne Schwender, executive director of GHC 9-1-1. “So, we devised a powerful commercial to remind callers of these three messages: 1) listen 2) answer questions, and 3) follow instructions. It’s is important to answer all questions so that you can get the appropriate type of emergency assistance.”

To view the commercial, visit http://911.org/Help-us-Help-You-911.asp.

In addition to the cinema commercials, bookmarks and materials for elementary students will feature the 911 mascot Cell Phone Sally sharing tips such as: know your location, speak clearly and answer all of the 9-1-1 call taker’s questions.

The Help Us Help You Commercial has three key messages:

1. When calling 911, always answer the operator’s questions. It is not unusual for callers in crisis to become frustrated or fail to see why operators’ questions are important. By asking questions, an operator is able to discern important information that will result in the correct emergency response and personnel being dispatched to the scene.
2. Always stay on the line. When callers hang up, it could mean that something has gone very wrong, so 911 call takers will attempt to call back. Therefore, a hang-up can delay appropriate emergency assistance and tie up 911 lines longer than necessary.
3. Always follow instructions. 911 call takers undergo extensive training and can often-times help a caller manage an emergency until trained personnel arrive.

Read the story here.

As consumers utilize new communications technologies and devices, 911 education takes on an increased importance for everyone, especially children, teens, and parents.

“It is imperative that the media, 911 professionals, teachers, government officials, and industry leaders are equipped with the tools necessary to engage in 911 educational efforts in the face of an ever-changing telecommunications landscape,” said 911 Coordinator Kim Brandt. “We used to have one way to contact 911, a landline phone.”

Landline phones brought name, phone number, and address information with the 911 call to the dispatcher. In today’s world, there are ever changing technological options to contact 911.

Besides landline phones, people now have cell phones that offer text messaging and photographs, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phones, OnStar and other types of  telematic devices installed in both homes and vehicles. All devices present different information to the 911 center and can create caller location issues for the 911 center.

Voice Over Internet Protocol phones are a fairly new way to call 911. A problem with some VoIP companies is they leave it up to the customer to register their own address in the address database. This can create location issues if the information is not properly entered and kept up to date, and 911 may not be able to locate you. If you have an internet-based phone requiring the customer to enter their own address information, be sure to enter your information correctly and keep the acount current according to the vendor instructions.

In Van Wert County, the 911 program works hard to keep up with ever-changing technology to provide up to date 911 services to our Van Wert County residents and visitors.

Van Wert County 911 implemented Phase 2 for cell phones in 2004. Phase 2 means the 911 dispatcher can locate a caller through special mapping that works with cell phones and 911 equipment.

Today’s challenge is moving to a Next Generation 911 system. A Next Generation system is a system that can handle 911 calls for help from any device, such as text messaging and photographs. These examples of communication that 911 cannot handle today but plans to accept in the future.

April is 911 Education Month, and Van Wert County 911 is using this month as an opportunity to work and educate the community on what is being done with the current 911 system in place and with the people in charge of using the equipment. Van Wert’s current 911 equipment must be replaced by 2014, because it is end of life. This means the vendor will no longer be able to fix the equipment if something breaks down in 2014 or later. As 911 Coordinator, Brandt has been researching options for the replacement of equipment. Although there is no way for  911 to receive a text message today, the equipment purchased will be capable of receiving a text. When the technology does become available, Van Wert will have capable equipment in place to handle it.

All 911 dispatchers in Van Wert County are Emergency Medical Dispatch certified. This means dispatchers have had special training to handle 911 calls for medical assistance and know how to give proper pre-arrival instructions. They have also been trained to locate cell phone callers with the special maps on 911 computers and paper maps if necessary.

The Van Wert County 911 system is coordinated by Brandt as well as the Van Wert County 911 Operations Review Board. 911 Review Board members include: Co-Chairmen Chief Dwight Sheets (Representing the County Fire Chiefs organization), Lt Ray Haas (Representing Ohio State Patrol), Milo Schaffner (Township Trustees), Chief Jim Steele (Van Wert Fire), Dr. Mark Sniadanko (EMS), Rick McCoy (EMA), Larry Clouse (County Residents), Chief Joel Hammond (Van Wert Police Department), Chief Craig King (County Firefighters Assn.), Rick Spoor (Van Wert City Residents), Sheriff Stan Owens (Van Wert County Sheriff Department), and Commissioner Thad Lichtensteiger (Van Wert County Commissioners).

The Review Board is responsible for a variety of things such as the approval of the operational procedures of the 911 system, receiving, investigating, documenting, and acting upon the 911 concerns of any PSAP or emergency service provider to the system. The board participates in the coordination of the 911 system on a countywide and regional basis, and makes recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners on any significant modifications to the plan. The Review Board is responsible for giving direction to Brandt as 911 Coordinator. They are in charge of seeing to all of these duties as well as any other matters brought before the Review Board concerning the Van Wert County 911 System.

Brandt’s duties as coordinator include directing all 911 operations related to and associated with effective dispatching and information management. She is responsible for budget development and administration, to purchase necessary supplies and equipment, assists in personnel policies and manual development, the training of employees, and mediates operation complaints of the 911 system. She also maintains the master street address guide and investigates and resolves discrepancies in data entry processing. Brandt also must coordinate and interface between telephone companies, government agencies, and the general public on all matters pertaining to efficient operations of the 911 system. She regularly must attend meetings relative to 911 operations and provide public education on effective utilization of 911.

911 Coordinator Kim Brandt can be contacted by leaving her a message on the Van Wert County 911 Facebook page. She can also be reached at her office at (419) 238-3866.

The NENA has  made a number of public safety educational resources for the media, 911 professionals, public educators, and citizens, available via its National 911 Education Month webpage, including an E-Brochure entitled Making 911 Work for You!

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“Report Impaired Drivers” billboards, funded by Mother Against Drunk Driving, will soon dot both communities, helping police catch impaired drivers before they crash.

People don’t realize it’s a tool they have at their fingertips, said Tracy Crawford, manager of MADD’s B.C.-Yukon chapter.

“It’s proactive way rather than waiting for the next tragedy to happen,” added Crawford, who pitched the public education campaign to councillors in Pitt Meadows on Tuesday.

Research from the 74 Canadian communities with the program shows that, on average, calls to 911 to report suspected impaired drivers doubled in the first year of it.

Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, the first city in B.C. to pilot MADD’s campaign, saw a 30 per cent increase in impaired driving charges after billboards and bus shelter signs went up in 2009.

“We are getting results,” said Crawford. “And now we are hoping to expand the program.”

In B.C., impaired driving kills an average of two people and injures 60 every week. Nationally, drunk drivers kill an average of four people and injure 207 every day.

Ridge Meadows RCMP are eager to get the signs up in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows, where road side memorials for people killed in drunk driving crashes are common.

In 2011, six constables from Ridge Meadows traffic section nabbed and charged 79 impaired drivers from Pitt Meadows alone.

Last year, there were 93 calls to dispatch reporting suspected impaired drivers, of those 26 drivers were stopped.

“I don’t see any negatives to this,” said Sgt. Dale Somerville, who heads Ridge Meadows traffic section.

“It helps police do their job. A third of all traffic fatalities in the Lower Mainland are alcohol-related and this could actually reduce that number.”

As part of the campaign, police will track the number of calls made to 911, the number of vehicles intercepted and charges laid.

The campaign will also educate drivers on how to spot a drunk driver, but will also mean a change in the way reports about drunk drivers are handled by 911 dispatchers, who will now make those calls a priority.

“So many people think a drunk driver is not an emergency, but that’s a crash waiting to happen, a fatality waiting to happen,” said Somerville.

Pitt Meadows will be the first city in Metro Vancouver to launch the campaign and the second in B.C.

“Being a long-time resident and coach, there have been two or three kids who I’ve personally known who have died tragically,” Coun. Dave Murray said before council unanimously supported a decision to support MADD’s campaign.

“I think even one loss is too much.”

Signs of impaired driving:

• driving unreasonably fast, slow or at an inconsistent speed;
• drifting in and out of lanes;
• tailgating and changing lanes frequently;
• making exceptionally wide turns;
• changing lanes or passing without sufficient clearance;
• overshooting or stopping well before stop signs or stop lights;
• disregarding signals and lights;
• approaching signals or leaving intersections too quickly or slowly;
• driving without headlights, failing to lower high beams or leaving turn signals on;
• driving with windows open in cold or inclement weather.

– MADD Canada

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“We want everyone to know that they can get immediate help and information about community resources when they call 911,” said Mayor Engen. “The campaign is just the start of our public education efforts. We are implementing changes across agencies to make sure victims get access to services and care quickly and compassionately.”

The public education campaign starts today with the launch of missoula911.com. The website provides information about the choices a victim has when he or she calls 911, a listing of community and on-campus victim resources, and downloadable flyers that community and campus groups can post to encourage sexual assault and rape victims to call 911.

It’s Your Call — 911 emphasizes that victims retain control of their situations while gaining immediate access to the resources they need, including emergency and nonemergency medical care, information about their options when they call 911, and access to sexual assault advocacy groups and counseling services in a single location.

“Calling 911 does not obligate victims to file an official police report or to press charges against their attackers, although those options are encouraged,” said Missoula Police Chief Mark Muir. “It does, however, open doors to all victim services in the community, whether it is law enforcement or advocate and support resources.”

“We encourage an immediate call to 911 as the safest and quickest way to access services, but we also understand that victims may hesitate to get help for a variety of complex reasons,” added Muir. “It is never too late to call 911.”

UM student group leaders are being contacted to encourage a campus-wide effort to educate students about the 911 campaign. The city will provide student groups with tools, including Facebook links and posters, to educate students about the importance of calling 911 when sexual assault or rape happens. Students will also see Facebook ads with a similar message.

“Students are stepping up to support the intolerance of sexual assault in the university community, and we want to encourage them to continue to have a voice. We ask their active support in educating their friends to call 911 for help and resources,” said Foley, vice president for external relations at The University of Montana.

“The University of Montana is working with Mayor Engen, the Missoula Police Department and our own campus services to make sure that we are delivering a unified message, not only to victims, but to potential perpetrators to deter sexual assault in our community,” he said.

Working Together

“Reducing sexual assault and rape is a community-wide effort, and several local entities are developing a joint response to these crimes,” said Mayor Engen.

The Multidisciplinary Team — a group of law enforcement officers, prosecution officials, medical and health care providers, social services professionals and victim advocates — is working together to coordinate services more effectively.

911 protocol changes are under way to make sure services are provided as seamlessly as possible. Police have also developed a new policy for sexual assault investigations to reinforce that first responders place victims’ safety and prompt access to services/information as the highest priorities.

In the coming months, public education efforts on The University of Montana campus and in the community will be expanded to raise awareness and discourage rape and sexual assault.

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The video uses audio from a real 911 call placed by a five-year-old boy who was apparently curious to see who might answer the phone.

The dispatcher who receives the call is represented in the video by a stuffed monkey wearing a Toronto police T-shirt. She soon discerns the caller is a curious child.

“Does someone need help today or were you just testing it out?” the dispatcher asks in a gentle tone.

“Just testing,” responds the boy, who is represented in the video by a toy telephone. He then hangs up.

The dispatcher calls back, speaks to the boy’s mother and confirms there is no emergency.

The video is amusing and cute but Toronto Police Const. Wendy Drummond said it’s aimed at teaching kids about the right and wrong times to call 911.

“We didn’t want to scare the children,” said Drummond in an interview Wednesday with Matt Galloway on CBC Radio’s Metro Morning. “We didn’t want them to feel that they did something wrong because 911 is a life-saving lifeline and we want them to be able to call, but we also want them to know when to call and why to call. So just making a call to see who’s on the other line, to feed that curiosity, is not what we want. That’s where the parents come in.”

False 911 calls are no joke

Before becoming a uniformed officer, Drummond worked as a 911 dispatcher.

“I know both sides of it,” she told Galloway. “I know that lots of children play with the phones. Kids during March break play with the phones at the mall, they hang up. They think it’s funny, but in fact it’s not.”

Drummond said about 18 per cent of calls made to 911 are misdials and pocket calls.

Last year a 16-year-old boy was charged with seven counts of public mischief for making false 911 calls, Drummond said. His calls sent police cars, fire trucks and ambulances all over the city. Such calls tie up emergency crews who could be responding to real emergencies, Drummond said.

“Being a former call taker, I know what calls are on the line, what real emergencies are waiting,” she said.

Drummond said police made a deliberate decision to not use police officers in the video. The aim was not to scare children, but to teach them about the right times to call 911.

“We’ve had lots of calls from kids who perform life-saving acts by calling 911 when there’s a legitimate emergency,” she said. “But we need to let them know it’s a serious number and is not to be played with.”

Drummond encouraged parents to speak with their children about the right and wrong times to call 911.

“You might need them to call for you when you’re unable to,” she said. “So it’s a very important lesson to learn.”

Watch the video:

Read the story here.

In 2007, statistics from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) showed an estimated 109,202 emergency room injuries in kids ages 5 to 14 related to softball and baseball.  Many involved the head, face or fingers, wrists and hands.

Though extremely infrequent, the CPSC says 88 baseball-related deaths occurred in the years between 1973 and 1995 – that’s approximately four deaths per year.  The most common causes were direct-ball impact with the chest or head; other causes included contact with the bat or ball.

Dr. Joseph Congeni, director of sports medicine at Akron Children’s Hospital and co-author of the AAP’s statement, says the heart condition commotio cordis is caused by a fast-moving ball hitting a player in the chest. The condition is very rare but everyone needs to be prepared, Congeni said.

“We really want parents, coaches and athletes to be aware that at every single baseball game, before a game starts, somebody needs to be aware of how to activate the emergency medical system,” he said.  “Have a cell phone ready to activate 911 in case of any emergency.”

Timely access to an automated external defibrillator (AED) is critical.

“We’re not at the stage where you would be able to have an AED at every baseball diamond where kids play,” he said.  “But there should be emergency squad cars there that could be activated by calling 911. The sooner 911 is called, the sooner the AED could get there, and the heart be restarted.”

The AAP says under three minutes is the ideal time frame for one of these devices to be at the side of the player.

The statement authors also looked at advances both in equipment and in technology since the guidelines were last updated over 10 years ago. They designed the recommendations to improve safety and reduce the risk of injuries in players ages 5 to 18.

“There are just a few things though that parents and coaches should pay attention to (in order) to make sure that we keep it a safe game,” Congeni added.

Among the recommendations:

• Evidence regarding heart guards or chest protectors is not sufficient to say they are helpful in preventing kids from having this life-threatening condition.
• A low-impact ball should be used in children under 10 or by those with the lowest skill level.
• Coaches and officials need to be aware of heat, sun and lightning and cancel or delay games if necessary.
• Officials, parents, coaches and umpires need to be knowledgeable about recognizing and responding to concussions.
• Everyone, including players, needs to be aware of overuse injuries and respect pitch counts and rest periods.
• Athletes should stop pitching immediately if their arm is sore or in pain.
• Players should wear polycarbonate eye protection or metal cages on helmets when batting.

That said, the AAP still recommends that pediatricians encourage children ages 5 to 18 to participate in baseball and softball.

“It’s a relatively safe sport, so parents can feel pretty good about their kids learning at a young age,” Congeni said.

Read the story here.