Happening far more frequently than anyone would like to consider, ambulance theft is becoming a big problem for EMS services fleets across the country. The following theft occurrences are among some of the more recent events:
- November 1, 2018 (Louisville, KY)
- April 8, 2018 (Los Angeles, CA)
- October 31, 2018 (Charleston, WV)
- November 1, 2018 (Little River, NC)
- October 19, 2018 (Scranton, PA)
Older Driver Safety Awareness Week
10 Dec 2018
Last week, December 3 – 7, 2018, was Older Driver Safety Week, but it’s important to explore the lessons described in the campaign throughout the year and revisit them frequently. Older driver safety week is set aside to promote greater understanding of the importance of mobility and transportation to aging adults and the safety challenges they face.
The Autism Society of Acadiana is dedicated to helping support families of individuals who fall within the autism spectrum. The group strives to educate, care for, and support individuals who are impacted by this condition and to create a community that embraces and enables impacted families.
The group’s latest campaign is called “Project Keep Our Kids Safe,” and its purpose is to prevent individuals suffering with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) from wandering away from their care providers.
Wandering away is a serious concern for families of someone on the spectrum because it puts them at great risk. Often, these individuals are attracted to water, roads or other dangerous sites, and they aren’t sure how to return home or ask for help in many cases. In 2016, Keaton Jones, a six-year-old of Youngsville, tragically passed away after wandering off, and his memory lives on through this newest project.
“Project Keep Our Kids Safe” intends on raising money for the purpose of purchasing GPS tracking device systems. These units will be distributed to members in need who have autistic relatives prone to wandering off.
These incredible GPS tracking devices provide peace of mind for parents and other family members because they are capable of providing live updates about the individual’s location, warning alerts when they travel too far from their boundaries and sending an alert when the person has unexpectedly stopped in an unknown area.
GPS tracking for autism can save lives, prevent children from going missing and reduce a parent’s overall anxiety levels. From 2011 to 2016, almost 33 percent of all ASD missing person cases related to wandering resulted in either the victim’s death or immediate medical attention for the ASD individual.
Organizers have announced an unprecedented $9,350 donation coming from Matt Steller of the Steller Foundation. They hope to be able to match that amount in other donations from autism awareness advocates by December 31 of this year.
If you are interested in making a donation, then please mail your contribution to the Autism Society Acadiana, 3108 W. Pinhook Rd, Ste 101, Lafayette, LA 70508. Please specify that your donation is for Project Keep Our Kids Safe.
