46 School Transportation News Magazine September 2011
There are 26 million* reasons to buy
The School Bus Safety Handbook
Choosing and Using Child Safety Restraints
Every day 26 million children ride the school bus. Their safety is in your hands.
This handbook was written to help you use child safety restraint systems correctly on school buses.
A user-friendly, practical, technically up-to- date handbook that includes: • selecting safety restraints and wheelchairs for use in different types of school buses,
• installation and usage details • current product information
Especially for: • school district personnel • Head Start and Early childhood education programs
• special needs transportation specialists.
Two uses, two sections: I. Selecting appropriate child safety restraint systems (CSRS) for school buses, es- pecially for transportation managers and other decision-makers II. Installing and using CSRS cor- rectly, especially for drivers and aides
Cost: $32.45 includes shipping Bulk rates available.
Order forms on line or per request.
Safe Ride News Publications
www.saferidenews.com Contact:
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Child passenger safety information you can trust—for 30 years * American School Bus Council
Congratulations STN on 20 Years of keeping the school transportation industry well informed about safety! D. D. Stewart, SRN Publisher
Learning from Mother Nature By Cheri Clymer
Mother Nature, by definition, is considered a force that controls the
weather and all living things. For centuries, men have tried to outwit and outmaneuver her. Yet, they are but pawns in the grip of this formidable foe. Although we are more sophisticated in our efforts in anticipating cli-
mate changes, weather still cannot be controlled. It is better as student transporters to try to work with, rather than against, Mother Nature. Although you can’t change the course of the weather or other feats of nature, you can learn to lessen the impact that the old girl will dish out. Te best place to start is to look in the mirror. Who better to plan for
your family, your staff, than you? It becomes your responsibility to con- sider the matter early, before a calamity. Knowledge is a powerful tool when it comes to preparedness. Te simple to the more complex plans can have a unique and powerful effect on the outcome of an event. FEMA offers numerous online classes in emergency management.
Classes require minimal time, college credit is offered and the classes are totally free. Te web address is
www.training.fema.gov/EMI/. A call to your local emergency manager is another excellent start. Discov-
ering what hazards are the most prevalent in your area and the history of these hazards will help you make a plan based on knowledge and informa- tion. Due to the sheer number of casualties, emergency workers may not be able to assist you for hours or even days. Services that we have come to expect, such as electricity, water and phone service may be unavailable for a week or more. Cell phones, although wonderful in a disaster, can become overwhelmed as well due to the high volume of calls placed on them. As you prepare, put together a basic emergency supply kit that
includes items such as food, water, medical supplies, cash, etc. A com- plete list of recommended items and additional items is available at
www.ready.gov/america/getakit. Not only is it important to prepare your family but it is also important to become an active member of your community. Many local and county organizations offer classes in disaster preparedness. Te American Red Cross teaches numerous crisis preparedness classes. For a nominal fee, you can gain more knowledge in the area of emergencies. As you progress, you may want to become a disaster volunteer. Certain criteria must be met but, if you qualify, you can begin to assist those less fortunate than you. What a wonderful feeling to help someone in need. Someday, it may be you. Investigate becoming a member of a Community Emergency Response
Team (CERT), which educates people about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organi- zation and disaster medical operations. Training will enable members to help in their neighborhood or local community. Another aspect of community preparedness is within the National
Weather Service’s NWS Storm Ready program. Tis training, slated for community leaders and emergency managers, assists with communica- tions and encourages local safety programs. Is your city StormReady? An additional opportunity for preparedness skills is to become a storm
spotter. Tese classes will teach an individual how to “spot” potential weather related disasters. SKYWARN is a volunteer organization with as many as 290,000 members across the United States. Tese individuals help keep their family and community safe by being the “eyes” of the National Weather Service. Alerting them to potential severe weather by identifying and describing severe storms. Te training is open to anyone with an interest. Members are from all walks of life including police, fire, emergency medical services, citizens, etc. For more ideas on volunteering in your area, visit Volunteer
Match.com.
Type in your city and state and see where you might fit in. Remember, your first source of safety in a disaster starts with you. Be prepared; don’t wait. ■
Clymer is a retired school transportation safety trainer from Loveland, Colo. She is the co-author of NAPT’s Emergency Preparedness Guide and can be contacted at
clymerc@skybeam.com.
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