Associated Press
TACOMA — Bonnie Warner knows the importance of bike helmets.
Years ago, Warner fractured her skull in a bicycle accident. And her brother, a Tacoma firefighter, suffered a concussion after falling off a bike when he was a boy.
Because of her experiences, she made sure to buy helmets for her three daughters Saturday at the Tacoma Fire Department’s helmet sale.
Warner and other parents watched as six firefighters knelt on the floor and adjusted the children’s new helmets.
"Its important to have them fitted right," Warner said.
The sale comes only days after a new Tacoma ordinance took effect. It requires adults and children to wear helmets while roller skating and skateboarding, in addition to biking. The fire department sponsors four helmet sales a year.
"Our goal is to get helmets on people’s heads," said deputy fire marshal Kevin O’Donnal.
They usually pick areas that have high numbers of recreational sports injuries, he said. More injuries occur in the east and south sides of Tacoma.
In only three hours, the fire department had sold more than 70 helmets. Along with bike helmets for $5, the fire department also offered ski helmets and multisport helmets for $10.
O’Donnal said bike helmets come down farther in the front, because people usually fall forward when biking. On the other hand, the multisport helmets, meant for roller skates and skateboarders, come down farther in the back to protect against backward falls.
Buying the right helmet is only the beginning, O’Donnal said. It needs to be worn correctly.
The front of the helmet should be no higher than a finger’s width above the eyebrows. The straps should go around the ear and be lose enough to fit only one finger under the chin. Jon Miller — another of Warner’s brothers — bought helmets for three of his four children on Saturday. Carrying on the family tradition, Miller sports his own scars from a bike accident when he was younger and wants to prevent his children from similar injuries.
"We’ve always done the helmet thing," said Theresa Parks, who brought her two children to the sale to replace their old helmets.
"Obviously, if the fire department is doing this, they are more qualified."
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