SUBMITTED NEWS RELEASE
To help maintain safety on the ski slopes for children enrolled in the Junior Ski Program this winter, Care Flight and Safe Kids Washoe County have donated 73 ski helmets to Sky Tavern for children who are on the group’s scholarship program and would otherwise not be able to purchase the necessary safety equipment.
“Helmets are essential for skiing for both youth and adults,” said Bill Henderson, Director of Sky Tavern. “Skiing and riding has become a helmeted sport much like bicycling. The risk of head injury is too great for anyone to not have one while on the ski slopes, and we wanted to do our part to ensure that every child who is a part of the Junior Ski Program is safe this year. Helmets can prevent or reduce the effects of the head injuries suffered by children while skiing or snowboarding. Plus they are warm, look cool and are a great place for stickers.”
In recent report published by the Canadian Medical Association Journal, the Association looked at 46,564 recreational skiers and snowboarders in the United States, Europe and Asia, and the results showed that helmets can reduce the risk of head injury by as much as 60 percent in some cases.
The most recent study done by the National Ski Area Association (NSAA) indicated skiers and snowboarders continue to recognize the importance of the safety of helmets. According to the 2009-10 NSAA National Demographic Study, 57 percent of skiers and snowboarders wore helmets, a 19 percent increase over usage rates from the 2008-09 season. In 2002-03, only 25 percent of skiers and snowboarders wore helmets. Data also indicated that 87 percent of children nine-years-old or younger are wearing helmets, and 75 percent of children between 10 and 14 wear helmets.
A recent Safe Kids Worldwide report indicated there was an estimated 17,000 injuries among children 14 and under from skiing and snowboarding. The Junior Ski program requires helmets for many of its programs, and program representatives say it is very unusual to see a child without one.
Helmets need to be fitted properly to optimize the safety being provided by the equipment as well as not restrict the vision or hearing of the child.
About Care Flight:
Care Flight began in 1981 and was a shared program of Washoe Medical Center, Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center, and Northern Nevada Medical Center, providing fast, high-quality emergency medical service and rescue to the remote and rugged areas of northern Nevada and northeastern California. In 1986, Care Flight was placed under the authority of the Regional Emergency Medical Services Authority to create a comprehensive EMS system with fully integrated ground emergency medical services as well.
Care Flight is always standing by with experienced critical care flight nurses, specially trained flight paramedics and skilled pilots ready to respond at a moment’s notice to the requests from public safety agencies, hospitals, physicians, or other health or public service organizations.
Care Flight provides service within a 150-mile radius of each of its 4 bases located in Reno, Gardnerville, Lovelock and Truckee. Care Flight responds to many high-altitude locations and rugged mountain rescue locations. Care Flight can provide critical care levels of services to critically ill and injured patients at accident scenes and rural health care centers in minutes.
About Safe Kids Washoe County:
Safe Kids Washoe County works to prevent accidental childhood injury, the leading killer of children 14 and under. Our members include AAA, Blue Moon Promotions, , Children’s Cabinet, Drinkwater Law Offices, Family to Family Connection, Frontier Financial Credit Union, , Kiwanis Bike Program, , Nevada Department of Public Safety – Office of Traffic Safety, Nevada Emergency Nurses Association, Nevada Motor Transport Association, Northern Nevada DUI Task Force, , REMSA, Reno Fire Department, Renown Health, Rotary Club of Reno Sunrise, Saint Mary’s Medical Center, , Washoe County District Health Department, , Western Surgical Group, and Wild About Smiles. Safe Kids Washoe County is a member of Safe Kids Worldwide, a global network of organizations dedicated to preventing accidental injury. Safe Kids Washoe County was founded in 2000 and is led by REMSA.
