Safe infant sleep info now on ambulances
Coeur d'Alene Press | UPDATED 7 years, 3 months AGO
Courtesy photo Kootenai County EMS System Chief Christopher Way, left, Inland Northwest SIDS/SUID Foundation executive director Liz Montgomery and Coeur d’Alene Fire Inspector Craig Etherton stand with the new ABCs of Safe Infant Sleep display that is now on the rear of all Kootenai County ambulances.
The Kootenai County EMS System and Inland Northwest SIDS/SUID Foundation have teamed up to bring the "ABCs of Safe Infant Sleep" to Kootenai County.
The safe infant sleep ABCs — Babies sleep Alone, on their Back, in an empty Crib — are now displayed on the rear door of every ambulance in Kootenai County. This emphasis of this important message was inspired by a program started in Ada County by paramedic Bart Buckendorf.
"KCEMSS and our partners are excited to participate in this project," said KCEMSS Chief Chris Way. "We feel very strongly that getting this message out can in fact save lives and prevent sudden infant death."
The goal of the increased visibility of this message is to raise awareness and encourage safe sleep environments for infants 1 year and younger, when infants are the most susceptible to SIDS/SUID deaths.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 3,500 infant deaths occur each year in the U.S. because of accidental suffocation, asphyxia or undetermined causes during sleep. Although the causes of death in many of these children cannot be explained, most occur while the infant is sleeping in an unsafe sleeping environment.
SIDS/SUID is the No. 1 cause of death of U.S. infants between 1 and 12 months of age. Nearly 90 percent of these deaths may have been preventable if caregivers and parents were educated on how to keep their baby safe during sleep.
According to the INW SIDS/SUID Foundation, 88 babies will die from SUID out of every 100,000 born in America. Out of every 100,000 born in Kootenai County, 112 will die from SUID, placing Kootenai County babies at a 27 percent higher risk than those outside Kootenai County. The foundation offers monthly safe sleep training to combat these statistics.
The official unveiling of the safe sleep ambulance messages will be Sunday during the remembrance ceremony at the annual Run for the Angels in McEuen Park. The ceremony will take place at 2 p.m. with a family fun day from noon to 2 p.m. The run will start at 2:30 p.m.
Info: www.inwsids.org
