The Child Advocacy Center is home to Niagara County’s Child Fatality Review Team (CFRT). The purpose of the CFRT is to prevent future deaths and promote child safety. The CFRT team includes law enforcement, social services, medical professionals, coroners, emergency services and other professionals and service providers who review the sudden, unexplained deaths of children in our county.
A primary focus for prevention is Infant Safe Sleep awareness because unsafe sleep has consistently been the leading cause of death of children in Niagara County. If you would like more information on Infant Safe Sleep, visit: https://cacofniagara.org/infant-safe-sleep-awareness-month/
Summertime presents additional and unique opportunities for promoting child safety. Recently the New York State Office of Children and Family Services shared information for caregivers on keeping kids safe while swimming, biking, viewing fireworks and partaking in other summertime activities that bring families countless hours of fun. We encourage families to enjoy the summer while also taking steps to ensure children are safe.
Water Safety
The world is made up of 71% water & kids are 100% curious…
Did you know?
Drowning is the leading cause of preventable death for children (ages 1-4) in the U.S.
Stay Close, Be Alert and Watch
- Always supervise your children and never leave them unattended by any type of water, including a bathtub. NOT EVEN FOR A SECOND!
- Eyes off screens and eyes on children around water!
- Keep children away from pool drains, pipes or any type of openings.
- Have a phone close by for emergencies to call 911.
- If a child is missing, check the pool first.
- Share and communicate safety rules with your friends, family and neighbors.
Learn and Practice Water Safety Skills
- Learn how to perform Rescue Breathing and CPR on children and adults.
- Participate in swim lessons for both children and parents.
- Understand the basics of life saving to help in emergencies.
Water Safety Tips for Children with Special Needs
Did you know?
The risk of drowning is more than double for children with a dual diagnosis of Down syndrome and autism.
Children on the autism spectrum are drawn to water for its sensory stimulation.
- Sounds of water moving or echoes from an indoor pool.
- Reflections of light and the way water distorts objects below the surface.
- Smell of salt water or chlorine.
- Feel of water on the skin when it splashes, different temperature, etc.
How to Stay Safe
SUPERVISE, SUPERVISE, SUPERVISE Minimize distractions such as reading, phone, socializing.
- “Touch supervision.” Regardless of other safeguards, you should be in the water with your child, never further than arms-length away.
- You can use a personal floatation device (there are adapted versions for children with low muscle tone), but you should never rely on them as a substitute for your direct supervision.
- Remove toys from pool area to inhibit a child from being tempted to retrieve them.
- Safety equipment surround/contain pool with a fence of AT LEAST 4 feet in height.
- Install self-closing gates that open AWAY from the pool.
- Fencing should separate the pool area from play area.
- Put locks/motion alarms on all doors/windows/ gates.
- Consider/utilize swim lessons as a safe introduction to water activities.
- Contact local Parks & Recreation Office for accommodations, such as adapted areas and swim lessons.
- Learn/Know CPR.
Firework and Sparkler Safety
The National Fire Protection Association estimates that local fire departments respond to more 50,000 fires caused by fireworks each year.
- Buy only legal fireworks (legal fireworks have a label with the manufacturer’s name and directions; illegal ones are unlabeled)
- Don’t hold fireworks in your hand or have any part of your body over them while lighting.
- Point fireworks away from homes, and keep away from brush and leaves and flammable substances. Steer clear of others setting off fireworks & never throw or point fireworks at someone, even as a joke.
- Children should never handle fireworks. Do not allow children to pick up pieces of fireworks after an event.
- Never use fireworks while impaired by drugs or alcohol
- Anyone using fireworks or standing nearby should wear protective eyewear
- Never hold lit fireworks in your hands
- Only light one device at a time and maintain a safe distance after lighting
- Never ignite devices in a container
- Do not try to re-light or handle malfunctioning fireworks
- Soak both spent and unused fireworks in water before discarding. Keep a bucket of water and/or hose nearby to fully extinguish fireworks, for fireworks that don’t go off, or in case of fire.
- Sparklers burn at about 2,000 degrees – hot enough to melt some metals.
- According to the National Fire Protection Association, sparklers alone account for more than 25% of emergency room visits for fireworks injuries. For children under 5 years of age, sparklers accounted for nearly half of the total estimated injuries.
- Consider using safer alternatives, such as glow sticks, confetti poppers or colored streamers.
Bike Safety
- Wear a properly fitted bike helmet and close-toed shoes.
- Ensure your bike fits YOU—should be 1-2” between your body & the top bar.
- Check Equipment—make sure your tires are inflated and your brakes work.
- See & Be Seen—wear bright colored clothes to ensure drivers can see you. Be on the lookout for driving and parked cars, potholes, gravel, puddles, and other hazards.
- Rules of the Road– always bike on the right side of the road with the flow of traffic, look before turning, and obey all traffic laws.
- Control your bicycle—always have your hands on the handlebars and carry any extra items in a bicycle carrier or in backpack.
For more information on bike safety, visit: https://nyassembly.gov/write/upload/req/bike_safety.pdf
Car Safety
- According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) A child’s body temperature rises three to five times faster than an adult’s.
- When a child is left in a vehicle, that child’s temperature can rise quickly — and the situation can quickly become dangerous. In 2023, 29 children died of heatstroke in vehicles in the US.
- Remember – In the HEAT Check the SEAT
- Properly buckle children in car seats, booster seats, or seat belts appropriate for their age and size. https://www.cdc.gov/child-passenger-safety/about/index.html
Medication Safety
- Make sure medications, alcohol, and chemicals are all stored safely away so youth can’t access them.
- Consider using a medication lockbox for all your medication.
- Talk to kids about the risk of vaping Here is a recent article about what is in a vape: https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/central-ny/news/2024/05/31/roswell-park–wny-schools-team-up-to-analyze-what-is-in-students–vapes-
Firearm Safety
- Talk to children so they know if they are at a friend’s house, it is never ok to access, touch or play with firearms.
- Keep firearms stored in a locked space.
- To find FREE gun locks in your area, visit: https://projectchildsafe.org/safety/get-a-safety-kit/
Talk to Kids about Safe Adults
- Here is a great summer safety tool to help you talk to your kids about staying safe this summer: https://mbfpreventioneducation.org/resource/summer[1]safety-matters/
- Darkness to Light has a Summer Camp Safety Guide: https://www.d2l.org/what-it-takes-to-protect-children-our[1]summer-camp-toolkit/
