Friday, Aug. 08, 2008

Colleyville Parents Reminded to Check Backseat for Infants Before Leaving Car

By Scott Price

Staff Writer

The Colleyville Fire Department has launched an awareness campaign to remind parents not to leave children unattended in vehicles, especially during this summer’s blistering heat.

The Fire Department has responded to 51 calls of children left in hot cars during the past five years, city officials said.

The number of calls concerned Colleyville Fire Operations Chief Russell Shelley, so he created an awareness campaign called "Stop ... Look then Lock." The campaign is intended to remind parents to check the backseat for their infants before leaving the car.

Two recent cases in nearby cities in which children have been left in hot cars have resulted in fatalities.

"This is a concern throughout North Texas," Shelley said. "We wanted a program to help protect children."

Texas led the nation in 2003 in number of children who died after being left in hot cars, according to statistics from the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. Shelley determined that the cities with higher numbers of cases per capita were cities without awareness initiatives.

Shelley designed a program that includes reminder cards, key chains and window signs. The card attaches to a car window and reads, "Don’t forget the kids."

The program’s spotlight logo was created by Colleyville student Laura Sulak. Local Rotary and Lions clubs sponsored the campaign and paid for most of the printing costs.

"Sometimes new parents are so frazzled and not used to having a child that they can forget the child," Shelley said. "My goal: not one more child to die because of this simple oversight."

Stop ... Look then Lock materials can be picked up at no charge at any of Colleyville’s fire stations. The stations include Colleyville Central Fire Station, 5209 Colleyville Blvd.; Fire Station No. 2, 5212 Pool Road; and Fire Station No. 3, 312 McDonwell School Road.

Information is also being distributed by the Fire Department throughout the schools and day care centers.

Call the Colleyville Fire Department at 817-581-4591 for information about the awareness campaign.