NH Gateway Chapter  -  American Red Cross

School Safety Initiative Program 

What is the School Safety and Initiative (SSI) Program?

Unintentional injuries remain the leading cause of death in children under the age of 14 according to the Centers for Disease Control, including injuries from accidents at home, and during and after disasters.

To help make children safer, the School Safety and Initiative (SSI) Program was developed to teach children, teens, and young adults safety awareness and safety skills.

Through the SSI programs, students of all ages learn how to prevent accidents before they happen. Since accidents do occur even with the best prevention, students also learn how to prepare for and respond to a variety of emergency situations. They learn basic first aid skills, gain an understanding of how natural disasters occur, and learn how to deal with terrorism and tragic events.

SSI also enables students to become involved in their community by promoting Red Cross service projects and training that helps their school, families, and communities.

How is SSI Funded?

Thanks to a very generous grant from Oracle Corporation, all SSI courses and programs are available for free to all GN&SV service area public and private schools.

The SSI courses and programs include:

• First Aid for Children Today (FACT) - Grades K – 3
• Basic Aid Training (BAT) - Grades 2 – 6
• Masters of Disaster - Grades K – 8
• Facing Fear - Grades K – 12

(see details below) 

First Aid for Children Today (FACT) – Grades K–3

First Aid for Children Today (FACT) is a 10 – 14 hour health promotion and injury prevention program for children aged 5–8. FACT helps students understand the important role they have in managing their own health and safety as well as environmental health and safety. FACT teaches students to be aware of dangers, how to prevent them, and how to respond to them if necessary.

FACT detailed lessons include First Aid for You, Healthy Living Habits, Careful Kids, Injury Prevention, Road Safety, and First Aid for the Environment. Upon course completion, students receive a special FACT certificate.

Basic Aid Training (BAT) – Grades 2–6

Basic Aid Training (BAT) is a 6–12 hour safety education program for children aged 8–12. BAT helps students understand the importance of accident prevention, and teaches basic first aid skills in the event of an accident. Students learn the importance of staying calm in an emergency, and how to implement the Emergency Action Steps – Check, Call, and Care.

BAT detailed lessons include First Things First, Rescue Breathing, All Choked Up, Ouch, Famous Fire Facts, Poison Patrol, Just Say No, Water Whiz, Lost and Found, Caution Kids, and Safe Wheels. Upon course completion, students receive a Red Cross BAT certificate.

Masters of Disaster – Grades K–8 

 

Masters of Disaster is an interactive, standards-based, disaster safety curriculum that teaches students how to prevent injuries at home, and how to stay safe in the event of a hurricane, flood, tornado, lightning, and home or woodland fire.

Masters of Disaster is modular – teachers can pick and choose which sections are appropriate for their community.Masters of Disaster lessons integrate into a teacher’s existing curriculum.

Masters of Disaster is available in three age-appropriate versions: K-2, 3-5, and 6-8.  All versions meet National Education Standards in science, math, language arts, health, and social studies. Each version contains complete lesson plans, an innovative activity book with reproducible lessons, videos, posters, and certificates for students.

Facing Fear – Grades K–12

Created by a team of educators, disaster specialists, and mental health professionals, Facing Fear is an interactive, standards-based curriculum supplement designed to help students deal with terrorism and tragic events, and cope with uncertain times. Facing Fear reinforces a sense of security, helps students convey thoughts and feelings, teaches students how to recognize and avoid misinformation and misperceptions, and helps them look to the future.

Facing Fear is available in four age-appropriate versions: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. All versions are linked to National Education Standards and include complete lesson plans and over 25 reproducible activity sheets.

Download the SSI program update 2009

For more information on any of the SSI programs, please contact the

NH Gateway Chapter- American Red Cross Chapter at 603-889-6664 or email tricia@nashua.redcross.org