Red Cross Safety Town Program to be held in June

The Metro New York North Chapter of the American Red Cross and the Scarsdale Volunteer Ambulance Corps announced today that Safety Town, a national program that teaches critical safety skills to pre-school children, will be held at the Scarsdale Congregational Church the week of June 22, 2015 with morning and afternoon sessions.

Safety Town is a dynamic interactive week in which children entering kindergarten in the fall of 2015 learn about safety in the home and their community from public safety experts. This year's five-day program will include five key safety themed days:

• The Scarsdale Volunteer Ambulance Corps will bring an ambulance, which the children will tour and learn about the lifesaving equipment. SVAC volunteer emergency medical technicians will give instruction on basic home safety proceedures such as poisonous substance awareness and how to call 911.

• A Scarsdale Police Department officer will teach all aspects of personal safety. Each child will be fitted with a bike helmet to use for activities during the program and take home at the end of the week.

• The Scarsdale Fire Department will bring an engine on site. The children will be able to explore the equipment and learn about fire safety in and out of the home from SFD personnel.

• An animal control officer from the Scarsdale Police Department will discuss safety around pets and other animals.

• A school bus will be on site to teach the children bus safety.

Each day's activity will be reinforced by the instructors with lessons, games and coloring books. Children will take home handouts and will be encouraged to review the material with their families.

Some activities and instruction, such as car and pedestrian safety, will be held on an 1,800 square-foot tarp duplicating a small town complete with streets and wooden buildings. The children, wearing their helmets, will ride around the town in pedal powered cars.

Safety Town will be hosted by The Metro New York North Chapter of the American Red Cross in partnership with the Scarsdale Volunteer Ambulance Corps and will be held at Scarsdale Congregational Church at 1 Heathcote Road, Scarsdale, NY. The $195 per child fee includes five daily two and one-half hour sessions, snacks and educational materials. Parents may register their child for either the morning or afternoon session. Attendance will be limited to 100 children per session.

For more information about Safety Town, please contact:
Mary Jones 203-869-8444, ext. 145; mary.jones2@redcross.org or visit www.redcross.org/ct/greenwich
Kathy Pascale 914-722-2230; safetytown@scarsdalevac.com or visit www.scarsdalevac.com and click on the Safety Town link.

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or visit us on Twitter at @RedCrossNY.

About Scarsdale Volunteer Ambulance Corps (SVAC)

Scarsdale Volunteer Ambulance Corps ("SVAC"), provides the Scarsdale community with advanced life support 911 ambulance service to patients of all ages experiencing a medical emergency. Advanced life support is the highest level of pre-hospital care available, which SVAC provides 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. SVAC is staffed by a combination of paid paramedics and volunteer emergency medical technicians, and other appropriately trained volunteers.