LAKE STEVENS — Sometimes big things come in small packages.
Such is the case with a grant Snohomish County Fire District 8 in Lake Stevens recently received. The district is getting $1,500 to buy window locks to hand out to families with young children.
That can make a meaningful difference in safety, said David Petersen, assistant fire marshal.
Petersen has seen the distress on a mother’s face after her 4-year-old girl fell out of a two-story window.
Around the time he was writing the grant application, medics in Lake Stevens took a 2-year-old to the emergency room for skull fractures after a fall.
So far this year, there have been nine falls from windows resulting in children requiring treatment at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett. Some of the injured were taken to Harborview Medical Center and Seattle Children’s Hospital.
The nine falls so far this year matches the total for 2015.
With warmer weather ahead, that number is expected to increase.
A safety campaign seemed to make a difference in 2015. There had been 20 window falls involving children reported in 2014 and 16 and 15 during the two previous years.
“In my opinion, these falls are completely preventable,” Petersen said.
He recommends keeping windows shut when children are near. In summer months, only windows that are out of children’s reach should be opened.
Petersen also said window screens can give people a false sense of security. They are meant to keep bugs out, not children in, he said. He points to data showing that most window screens are able to withstand about 5 pounds of pressure. A newborn typically weighs around 8 pounds.
The assistant fire marshal also said infants’ beds and dressers should be kept away from windows.
“All the window locks in the county cannot substitute for supervision,” Petersen said. “That is the best form of prevention. Keep children’s access to unlocked windows to a minimum and purchase a window lock from your local hardware store.”
If a fall does occur, Petersen said parents should call 911 and let medics do an evaluation instead of driving the child to a doctor.
“An evaluation doesn’t cost anything,” Petersen said. “It does provide piece of mind.”
Shawneri Guzman, of Providence’s trauma and injury prevention office, agreed it is best to get an evaluation done before putting the child in a car.
“Research shows that more damage could be done if the ‘scoop-and-go’ mentality is taken with pediatric falls,” she said. “Pediatric injuries from falls are either minor in nature or severe. There really is no in-between.”
Petersen sees more need in his community to talk about window locks given the continued growth in single-family homes, which is where most window falls occur. The grant could help up to 200 families, he said.
Lake Stevens received the grant through the North Region EMS and Trauma Care Council. The application also included Snohomish County Fire District 17 in Granite Falls and Safe Kids Snohomish County.
Peterson hopes to have the locks available for families in need by the city’s National Night Out event Aug. 2.
For those who need information about purchasing window locks, contact Petersen at dpetersen@lsfire.org.
Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446; stevick@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
