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Children Get A Safety Check

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By LIZ BLEAU, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 10, 2007

Updated: 10/08/2007 09:14 pm

VALRICO - A number of homes in Hillsborough County are slated for safety inspections, not by any official government teams but by newly deputized, pint-sized Safety Rangers.

The children at Lithia Springs Elementary School became rangers last week and learned how to be on the lookout for dangers at home after touring The Great Safety Adventure and its traveling house, set up by the Home Safety Council, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing home-related injuries, sponsored by Lowe's home improvement stores.

As the students from Faith Clark's second-grade class approached the safety exhibit, they were greeted by Rover, the town's mascot.

An adult ranger, Luis Rojas, handed the children small flashlights as they entered the first room of the house, where an animated Rover introduced them to household dangers and to the idea of calling for adults to help in situations too dangerous for them to handle.

'Code Red Rover, grown-up come over,' the roomful of children yelled, as they spotted matches near a simulated fireplace.

Next, a trip to the kitchen revealed several dangerous areas - a pot on a red burner of the stove and an opened cabinet door under the sink. Rojas explained that children need to stay outside the kid zone, or about three feet from the stove. If household chemicals and cleaners are stored under the sink, that cabinet needs a lock to keep small children out, he said.

As the students pointed the beams of their flashlights toward the stove danger, the pot was mechanically removed, as if by magic, and the cabinet door seemed to close on its own, once the children's lights were aimed at it.

The next area was Rover's bathroom, where children saw a small rug flatten itself out and bottles of pills disappear from the bathroom counter. A hair dryer plugged into an outlet was removed and replaced by another, which was unplugged and placed higher in the room. The outlets were protected with safety covers.

Lastly, the youngsters were brought to Rover's bedroom, where they were given instructions on fire safety.

'When the smoke alarm goes off, don't grab the door knob,' Rojas told the students. 'It could be very hot, and you might burn your hand and make it hard for you to exit through the window.'

He showed the children how to use the back of their hands to see if the door or doorknob is hot. They learned that once the door is open, they need to get low to the ground and make their way out.

Artificial smoke, made to smell like pancake syrup, floated into the room, prompting the children to crawl to the outdoors.

Ashley Russo, 7, said the exhibit taught her how to stop and drop, if there's a fire or smoke. 'I learned how to go out a window or a door,' she said.

Not surprising, the small flashlights were popular. Jacob Zeke, 7, said that was the best part of the visit for him.

Alex Brocato, 7, said he liked the choruses of 'Code Red Rover,' the students were prompted to yell out at various times throughout the tour. He planned to visit Rover's Website, www.coderedrover.org, where parents and children can learn more about The Great Safety Adventure and access games and safety tips.

The exhibit will be making visits to area schools through Oct. 18, and it will visit several area Lowe's stores, including Lowe's of Tampa, 12901 N. Dale Mabry Highway on Saturday and the Lowe's in New Tampa, 6201 Commerce Palms Drive, on Oct. 20. Both of those visits are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Reporter Liz Bleau can be reached at (813) 865-1557 or lbleau@tampatrib.com.

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