Boone County

Daylight-saving time ends Sunday, November 7, and marks the 23^rd anniversary of the Change Your Clock Change Your Battery® (CYCCYB) program, which reminds us to change and test the batteries in our smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors.  This message is simple and the habit can be lifesaving.

One easy step can help save their lives and the lives of those around them.  Everyone is encouraged to use the extra hour they “gain” from daylight-saving time to change the batteries in their own smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors, test the alarms and remind friends, family, neighbors and fellow community members to do the same.

Communities nationwide witness tragic home fire deaths each year.  Approximately every three hours a home fire death occurs somewhere in the nation and 80 percent of those occur in homes without working smoke alarms.  Non-working smoke alarms rob residents of the protective benefits home safety devices were designed to provide.  The most commonly cited cause of non-working smoke alarms: worn or missing batteries.

“Eighty percent of child fire fatalities occur in homes without working smoke alarms. It’s a tragic statistic that could be reduced by adopting the simple habit of the Change Your Clock Change Your Battery program,” says Fire Chief Keith Smith.

Changing smoke alarm batteries at least once a year, testing those alarms and reminding others to do the same are some of the simplest, most effective ways to reduce these tragic deaths and injuries.  Additionally, the International Association of Fire Chiefs recommends that smoke alarms in homes should be replaced every 10 years and having both ionization and photo electric smoke alarms are best to alert people to all types of home fires.

“The peak time for home fire fatalities is between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. when most families are sleeping,” says Chief Smith.  “Smoke alarm maintenance is a simple, effective way to reduce home fire deaths.  Children and senior citizens are most at risk, and a working smoke alarm can give them the extra seconds they need to get out safely.”

In addition, Chief Smith recommends residents not only use the “extra” hour they save from the time change to test smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors and to plan and practice escape routes, but also to make sure fellow neighbors and community members do the same.  Families should also prepare a fire safety kit that includes working flashlights and fresh batteries.

Tragically, fire can kill selectively.  Those most at risk include:

• Children – On average, home fires kill 500 children ages 14 and under each year.  Roughly three-quarters of child fire fatalities under age 15 occurred in homes without working smoke alarms.
• Seniors – Adults 75 and older are 2.8 times more likely to die in a home fire.
• Low-Income Households – Many low-income families are unable to afford batteries for their smoke alarms.  These same households often rely on poorly installed, maintained or misused portable or area heating equipment – a main cause of fatal home fires.

Fire Safety Resources:

Change your clock change your battery hotline (3140 727-5700 or  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

International Assoc. of Fire Chiefs (703) 273-0911 or  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

For more information on Daylight Saving Time:

Greenwich Mean Time website: http://wwp.GreenwichMeanTime.com/time-zone/rules/usa.htm

About.com website: http://geography.about.com/cs/daylightsavings/a/dst.htm

The Hussey-Mayfield Memorial Public Library was named one of the nation's best.

The ratings are based on including circulation, funding levels, materials, reference services and staffing, Hilbert said.

In the 2010 edition of Hennen's American Public Library Ratings, the Zionsville library was recently ranked in the 98th percentile of U.S. public libraries serving between 10,000 and 24,999 residents, said Virginia Hilbert, library spokeswoman.

Hussey-Mayfield ranked 26th of 1,561 similarly sized libraries in the nation, and was the highest ranked library of its size in Indiana, Hilbert said. That is 10 spots higher than the library's 2009 ranking.

For more information, visit www.zionsville.lib.in.us. The 2010 Hennen's American Public Library Ratings list is at www.haplr-index.com.

Research has shown that swallowing coin-sized lithium "button batteries" found in many common household products is a growing threat to children. The data from two new studies reveal that between 1985 and 2009, the risk that children will experience a serious health complication after swallowing a button-battery increased nearly seven-fold.
According to Dr. Toby Litovitz, Director of the National Capital Poison Center in Washington D.C. and lead author for both studies,  "We're talking about a really profoundly devastating injury, and sometimes fatalities. It's also clearly a worsening situation. From the late 1970s until now there have been 14 fatalities in the U.S. that we're aware of, and of those 10 were just in the last six years. So that should send a signal of warning."
About 3,500 cases of button cell battery ingestion are reported annually to poison control centers. While swallowing batteries has occurred for years, the problem is escalating as a result of the 20-mm lithium coin cell becoming a popular household battery. Button batteries have become more common with the emergence of items such as remote controls, thermometers and even singing greeting cards and talking books - objects that are readily accessible to children.

Standard 20 millimeter lithium button batteries are thicker than a nickel and somewhere between a penny and a nickel in diameter. The batteries that pose the greatest risk are those that begin with the number 20, which stands for 20 millimeters. Batteries numbered
2032, 2025 and 2016 are responsible for more than 90 percent of serious injuries.

In 1990 only about one percent of all small 20 millimeter-sized batteries were lithium coin cells. That figure has now risen to about 18-20 percent. The batteries are popular with consumers because they have a long shelf life and have more cold tolerance, making them convenient for outdoor use.

Young children under the age of four account for 85 percent of button battery ingestions. When children swallow this type of battery, it may get lodged in the esophagus rather than the air passage. This means that the primary risk from swallowing a button battery is not choking but rather potentially fatal alkaline burns. These burns are not caused by battery leakage but by the exposure of body tissues to the battery's external current, which results in hydroxide that can burn through the throat or esophagus. Dr. Litovitz and her colleagues have determined that to prevent all possible injury, including serious injury or death, a swallowed battery needs to be removed from a child's esophagus within two hours of being swallowed.

Unfortunately, unless a child is showing signs of choking after swallowing a battery, parents and caregivers may not even be aware that the child has actually swallowed a battery. To make matters more complicated, symptoms resulting from swallowing a battery such as vomiting, fever, cough and lack of appetite may be mistaken for flu symptoms.

Data compiled by the National Poison Data System and the National Battery Ingestion Hotline, as well as a review of more than 8,600 swallowing cases and an analysis of recent medical literature shows that in nearly 62 percent of cases, children under 6 are swallowing batteries they obtained directly from a consumer product. Nearly 30 percent find the batteries loose, while just over 8 percent get them from battery packaging.

To prevent the risk of button battery ingestion, Dr. Litovitz suggests that the consumer electronics industry needs to produce items that use a compartment secured with a screw, requiring a screwdriver to open them. This would create a barrier between a young child and button batteries, making access more difficult. Federal safety rules require toys that use the batteries to have battery compartments that are locked with screws. At the same time, devices intended for adults — like bathroom scales and remote controls — often hold the batteries in with a simple plastic cover that can fall off or be easily removed.

What can parents do to keep young children safe from button batteries?
Store batteries in a secure place away from children.
Check your home for products that contain button batteries and make sure that compartments holding the batteries are secured. If not, use tape to secure the compartment and to be safe, put the product out of reach of children.
Check toys for button batteries before allowing your child to play with them.
Choose button battery free toys for younger children under the age of 6.

To read the full report of these studies check out the June issue of Pediatrics:
Emerging Battery-Ingestion Hazard: Clinical Implications
Toby Litovitz, Nicole Whitaker, Lynn Clark, Nicole C. White and Melinda Marsolek

The Indiana State Fair begins tomorrow with all the fun and flare of the annual event.  You can enjoy the traditional fun events, concerts, displays and great 4-H projects.  A great family fun time, but don't forget the lemonade shake up and prepare for the warm days.

What's New in 2010

*  "Bridges to Japan" Exhibit - Japanese performances, food and displays

*  "God Bless America" - 25ft. sculpture based on the painting by J. Seward Johnson.

*  Boy Scout Bridge - in honor of the 100th anniversary of Boy Scouts in 2010.

* Habitat for Humanity Home - the construction of a 5 bedroom home on the fairgrounds the first 15 days will then be moved to an Indianapolis location for a woman and her five children.

*  DockDogs - best canine athletes compete in Big Air Dogs, Extremem Vertical and Speed Retrieve events in the Dow AgroSciences Celebration Park.

*  Clarian Health Zone - Free Diabetes Risk Assessment in the Expo Hall, 9-7 daily.

*  Farmers' Market Cafe - The Ball State Ag/Hort Building features fresh salads and sandwiches made with Indiana produce.

*  ISF- Midway Combo Pass - $25 State Fair admission and Midway rode combination pass is available at all Indiana Walmart Stores from June 15- August 8, save $8.

*  $2 Tuesdays Taste of State Fair - with a voucher that you can print off from www.turkeyhill.com/indianastatefair you can save $2 off your Tuesdays entry.

*  Hedrick's Racing Pigs - five times a day in the Grandstand Side Lot you can share lots of laughs as the athletic swine race down the "ham stretch".

*  Blue monkey sideshow - family entertainment "with an edge" can be seen in Dow AgroSciences Celebration Park.

*  Free Lucas Oil Indy Super Pull - August 8 join the free pulls at 1 and 7.

*  Welde's Big Bears - bears ranging in size from 200-1,200 pounds will have three shows daily in the Riley Fun Park.

*  Rowdy Rooster Puppet Show - performing three shows daily in Riley Fun Park.

*  American Horseshoe Pitching Association - The Riley Fun Park will have family horseshoe pitching areas.

As college kids get ready to leave we thought this could be some good ideas for parents sending their students off for their first year at college.  The following is a guest post by Vanessa Van Petten, teen author of “You’re Grounded!” She runs the parenting blog RadicalParenting.com, which is written with teens from the kid’s perspective.

“I am free, I am free, I am free”

I have heard both parents and teens chant this as they pack up the minivan and leave for college.  Yet, parents often watch their kids leave, with tears in their eyes and forget to cover some essential pre-freshman topics.

1) Money

Your child will most likely call you in the first six months asking for more money.  Often times, kids leave for college without any idea or guidelines about how much money they should be spending and what happens if they need to be bailed out.

Essential Talking points:

“We are giving you ______ per month.”
“You can use our credit card for  everything except ____, ____, _____.  These are things you need to pay for on your own either with your savings or from a job.”
“You _______ have your own credit card.”
“If you are in an emergency and need more money, we will loan/give/not give it to you.”

2) Contact

Many parents have an expectation in their mind that they will talk to their child every few days.  Many teens have the expectation in their mind that they will talk to their parent every few weeks.  Then, both go off to college and both get annoyed with the other for calling too little or too much.

Essential Talking points:

“I would like to talk to you ____per week/month.”
“I must talk to you at the very minimum _____ per week/month.”
“Lets make a regular check-in time of ________(Sunday afternoon at 3pm is usually good)”
“If I do not hear from you, I am warning you now, I will call your resident dorm director.”

3) Vacations

When teens leave home, they feel they have no more rules and boundaries—and maybe they don’t.  But they will come home to visit, rules will return. Talk about this now, before they come home for Thanksgiving and realize they no longer can stay out until 4am.

Essential Talking points:

“I know you are free to do whatever you want, but we would love it if you could ______ while at school.”
“Just so you know, you will have more freedom when you come home from breaks, but we still expect  ______curfew,  _____ car rules, ______ amount of family time….”

4) Memories

Too many students leave for school without ever thinking of logging their memories.  Talk to your kids about keeping a journal, photos or video diary online.

Essential Talking points:

“Here is a camera/journal/video camera, please document your first year.”
“Don’t you wish you could see pictures of my bad hairstyle from college? Ok, so make sure to take your own pictures to save for your kids.”

5) Grade Limits

College is to learn.  College is to learn.  I often have to repeat this to rising college freshman.  Make sure your kids know what kind of expectations you have on their grades.  The more specific the better on this one.

Essential Talking points:

“Of course, we want you to do well in college, it would be great if you could keep a ____GPA or higher.”
“In fact, if you go below _____GPA, we will not pay for your school/you will have to quit the sports team….”
“We have access to your transcripts.”
“You need to send us a grade update every ________months/weeks.”

6)  Significant Others

Most likely your child will get a significant other during freshman year.  It is important to talk about what this means for vacations and breaks.  Are you ok with them coming home for Christmas? What if your child wants to go home with them for a break?

Essential Talking points:

“If you want to bring someone home from a vacation this ____ allowed.”
“If you bring someone home from a vacation, they are ____allowed to stay in your room with you.”
“We expect you to come home for the following holidays: _____, _______, ______”
“It would be ok, if you went with a boyfriend or girlfriend on the following holidays/vacations: _______, ________ “

7) Expensive Extra-Curriculars

The last thing you should talk about before they call you mid-October and ask is about expensive social activities.  Talk about the following:

Essential Talking points:

“If you join a sorority or fraternity you will _____ have to pay for your own dues.”
“If you want to go on an expensive spring break trip to Cancun we will _____pay for it/part of it/none of it.”
“If you join the sailing team we will ____ pay for your sailboat and equipment.”

Even if you think your kid would never join the sailing team, talk to him or her about these issues just in case.  Trust me, waiting until they call from their friends cell phone is not a great first way to talk (or argue) about these issues.
Vanessa Van Petten is the teen author of the parenting book “You’re Grounded!” She writes a parenting blog along with 12 other teen writers from the kid’s perspective to help parents.  Her work as a young family peacemaker have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Teen Vogue, CNN, Fox News, CBS Miami and much more!
http://www.RadicalParenting.com

Articles like this by Vanessa Van Petten:

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My Ultimate Pre-College Guide for Freshman