safety

Burlington Police and Schools Partner to Bring National School Safety Speakers to Teacher Development Day

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Burlington Police Department
Michael R. Kent
Chief of Police
45 Center Street
Burlington, MA 01803
www.bpd.org

For Immediate Release

Friday, March. 15, 2019

Media Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Burlington Police and Schools Partner to Bring National School Safety Speakers to Teacher Development Day

BURLINGTON — Chief Michael Kent and Superintendent Eric Conti are pleased to share that the Burlington Police Department and Burlington Public Schools partnered earlier this week to hold a staff development day for educators featuring two nationally renowned school safety speakers.

On Monday, March 11, every educator in the Burlington Public School district, along with custodial and clerical staff members, attended a staff development day at Burlington High School that focused on school safety. Members of the Burlington Police and Fire Departments also attended the event.

Alissa Parker, who lost her daughter Emilie in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting, and Frank DeAngelis, the retired principal of Columbine High School, spoke at the event. Parker and DeAngelis are both speakers for Safe and Sound Schools, an organization founded by the parents who lost children in the Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting. Safe and Sound Schools works to keep students safe by supporting crisis prevention and response initiatives. The group also helps schools recovering from tragedy.

Parker and DeAngelis both shared their personal stories at the staff development day, and also offered their own insights on how communities can work to respond to and recover from similar emergencies.

DeAngelis is also a speaker for the I Love U Guys Foundation, a group that has created school emergency response procedures including the Standard Response Protocol and the Standard Reunification Method. The Standard Response Protocol offers four action based responses for schools to take in the event of an emergency: lockout, lockdown, evacuate, and shelter. The Standard Reunification Method is a procedure that gives educators the tools to ensure that students are reunited with a parent or guardian in the event of an emergency.

“It was incredibly powerful to listen to Alissa Parker and Frank DeAngelis share their stories, and their thoughts on how communities can work together to prevent disaster, prepare to act in the event of a tragedy, and recover,” Chief Kent said. “School safety is of the utmost importance to us all at the Burlington Police Department and at Burlington Public Schools, and it was an inspiring learning experience for us all to hear their remarks.”

Partial funding for the program was donated by Oracle. Presentations by Parker and DeAngelis were funded by the Burlington Police Department.

“Burlington Public Schools has a great partnership with the Burlington Police Department, and together we have undertaken a comprehensive series of initiates to keep students and staff safe at school,” Superintendent Conti said. “Monday’s school safety day was incredibly insightful, and the ideas the Alissa Parker and Frank DeAngelis shared with us were incredibly helpful and valuable moving forward.”

For more information on the Burlington Police Department’s collaboration with Burlington Public Schools to promote school safety, click here.

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Newburyport Fire Department Encourages Residents to Test Smoke, Carbon Monoxide Detectors During Daylight Saving Time Transition

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Newburyport Fire Department
Christopher LeClaire, Fire Chief
3 Greenleaf St.
Newburyport, MA 01950

For Immediate Release

Wednesday, March 6, 2019

Contact: Jessica Sacco
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Newburyport Fire Department Encourages Residents to Test Smoke, Carbon Monoxide Detectors During Daylight Saving Time Transition

NEWBURYPORT – As daylight saving time approaches this weekend, Chief Christopher LeClaire and the Newburyport Fire Department wish to remind residents to test their smoke and carbon monoxide detectors as they change their clocks.

Daylight saving time begins Sunday, March 10 at 2 a.m.

“We’re asking residents to take this time to test their smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, and make sure they’re functioning properly,” Chief LeClaire said. “Smoke detectors need replacing every 10 years, and it’s important to test and replace batteries frequently as well. These devices save lives, so it’s worth taking the time to ensure they’re working properly.”

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), having working smoke alarms reduces the risk of dying in a fire by 50 percent and, on average, three out of every five fire deaths occur in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.

The Newburyport Fire Department asks that all business owners not only change the batteries in their clocks, smoke or carbon monoxide detectors, but also replace the batteries on wall mounted emergency lights and exit signs. All businesses should have emergency backup lighting as a safety feature to provide temporary lighting in case of power failure.

In order to continue to keep your home safe and prevent fires, Chief LeClaire recommends that residents follow safety tips outlined by NFPA:

  • Test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms at least once a month using the test button. Replace alarms immediately if they don’t respond properly when tested.
  • Replace batteries in smoke and CO alarms when you change your clocks.
  • Replace all smoke alarms when they reach 10 years old. Replace CO detectors according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
  • CO alarms should be installed in a central location outside each sleeping area, on every level of the home, and in other locations where required by applicable laws, codes or standards. For the best protection, interconnect all CO alarms throughout the home. When one sounds, they all sound.
  • If the CO alarm sounds, immediately move to a fresh air location outdoors or by an open window or door. Make sure everyone inside the home is accounted for. Call for help from a fresh air location and stay in that spot until emergency personnel arrive.
  • Develop and practice a home escape plan with all members of the household.

For more information on smoke detector and CO alarm safety, visit the NFPA website or contact the Newburyport Fire Department at 978-465-4427.

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Bedford Police and Fire Departments Offer Guidance on CBD Products

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For Immediate Release

Monday, Feb. 25, 2019

Media Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Bedford Police and Fire Departments Offer Guidance on CBD Products

BEDFORD — As CBD products become more readily available across Massachusetts, Police Chief Robert Bongiorno and Fire Chief David Grunes are urging residents to be cautious, research items before buying, and remember that the drug’s legality at the federal level remains murky.

While many CBD products claim to cure physical pains, benefit mental health, and even cure some illnesses, these benefits are largely unsubstantiated by science. Only one CBD drug has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug administration after it was studied closely. The drug treats seizures associated with severe epilepsy.

CBD products, because of a lack of regulation, can be dangerous to consumers. In December 2017 and January 2018, a group of approximately 50 people in Utah were sickened by a synthetic cannabinoid they were sold that was marketed as CBD. Some of their symptoms included an altered mental status, seizures, confusion, loss of consciousness, and hallucinations.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), CBD, also known as cannabidiol, does not cause a high because it effects a different part of the nervous system than THC, an active chemical compound in marijuana.

CBD can be derived from both marijuana and hemp. Hemp-derived CBD can contain as much as 0.3 percent THC, and marijuana-derived CBD can contain more.

Marijuana-derived CBD remains illegal federally, as a cannabis byproduct. Hemp, however, was legalized nationally in December 2018.

The Bedford Police and Fire Departments are urging parents, guardians, and caregivers to be vigilant that children do not become exposed to CBD products that are often sold in candy form. There are many gummy candy CBD products, which can be attractive to young children.

CBD products, ranging to edible treats to oils to lotions, can be bought online and in retail stores in Massachusetts.

“We urge residents to do their research and use caution when handling any marijuana or hemp-derived product,” Chief Robert Bongiorno said. “Parents in particular should note that CBD is often sold as a candy product, which can appeal to children and teens. Research is still being done to better understand the side effects of CBD, but the truth is, we simply don’t know what this substance is capable of yet.”

Finding reliable information on CBD is also challenging, as much of the information available online is created by pro-CBD and marijuana companies. As a result, the Bedford Police and Fire Departments encourage residents to carefully assess the reliability and accuracy of the sources they use to gather information regarding CBD.

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Burlington Police Department Receives Child Passenger Safety Grant

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Burlington Police Department
Michael R. Kent
Chief of Police
45 Center Street
Burlington, MA 01803
www.bpd.org

For Immediate Release

Thursday, Jan. 10 2019

Media Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Burlington Police Department Receives Child Passenger Safety Grant 

BURLINGTON — Chief Michael Kent is pleased to announce that the Burlington Police Department received a Child Passenger Safety grant that will be used to purchase car seats for distribution to local families in need.

The Burlington Police Department received $3,500 from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, Office of Grants and Research-Highway Safety Division.

“We are extremely grateful to receive this grant allocation to continue to ensure that families have properly installed car and booster seats by working with one of our certified technicians,” Chief Kent said.

Traffic crashes are a leading cause of death for children of all ages nationwide. Properly installed car and booster seats have been proven to reduce the risk of death and injury to children involved in crashes, yet the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that nearly 60 percent of all seats are installed incorrectly.

State law requires all children riding in passenger motor vehicles to be in a federally approved child passenger restraint that is properly fastened and secured according to the manufacturer’s instructions until they are 8 years old or over 57 inches tall. When children outgrow their booster seats, they must wear a seat belt.

The Burlington Police Department is one of more than 235 car seat inspection sites in Massachusetts with certified technicians available to ensure children’s seats are installed correctly.

The Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security awarded more than $190,000 to 58 local police and fire departments, nonprofit agencies and hospitals in this round of grant allocations.

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