Be safe around home and you won't need us!

It's simple—prevention is the key. By following a few simple safety rules, you may never have to call for an ambulance. And while we'd love to meet you, we think you'll have a better day if we're not around.

Bicycle Safety

Why would you need to wear a bicycle helmet? It's simple. Should you take a tumble from your bike, the helmet will take the force of the blow instead of your head. Indeed, wearing a bicycle helmet is the most effective way to prevent a life-threatening head injury.

Over 800 bicyclists are killed each year and another 500,000 find themselves in the local ER. Two-thirds of these deaths and one-third of the injuries involve injury to the head a face. Simply wearing a helmet can reduce the risk of head injury by as much as 85 percent.

And while it's easy to think that bike helmets are just for kids, it's important to remember that adults face the save risk as children. Even experienced bicyclists are at risk. In fact, according to the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute, a average bicyclist may still crash every 4,500 mile.

The most serious injuries are obviously caused by collisions with moving automotives, but even a simple fall from your bike can be life-threatening.

When choosing a helmet, you first need to make sure it's safe. Helmets should include a seal of approval from either the Consumer Product Safety Commission or the American National Standards Institute.

Before purchasiing a helmet, make sure it fits snugly—it shouldn't move more than an inch in any direction and make sure the straps don't obscure your vision.

Choose a bright color. Not only is it more fun than a plain black helmet, but it will also help others see you.

If you have a mishap while wearing your helment, you'll need to replace it with a new one. Though it may not look damaged, it may not be able to withstand the force of another impact.

For more information, visit the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute. There you'll find buyer's guides, news, statistics and more.

Child Safety Seats

There is nothing more upsetting to EMS personnel than to see kids standing up and playing in the back seat of a moving vehicle. That's because we know that that child could easily die should the care be involved in even a low speed accident.

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for the age group 2 to 14 years old and the number one way to change this is simple — use a child safety seat. It only takes a few minutes to save your child's life. Please help us protect your children by always putting them in a car seat.

We have a number of certified child seat techicians at Oldham County EMS that can help you install your safety seat and answer any questions you should have. To schedule a fitting, contact the station at (502) 222-7250.

Please keep in mind that ambulance runs are our number one priority but we can always set up appointments to suit your schedule. Also, please try to schedule a fitting at least three weeks prior to your anticipated delivery date

Infants should always ride rear-facing until they are at least 1 year of age and weigh at least 20 pounds. Toddlers/Preschoolers should ride in convertible seats. It is best to ride rear-facing as long as possible. Children 1 year of age and at least 20 pounds can ride forward-facing.

School-age children shorter than 4'9" should use booster seats. Booster seats are for older children who have outgrown their forward-facing car safety seats. Children should stay in a booster seat until adult belts fit correctly (usually when a child reaches about 4 foot 9 in height and is between 8 and 12 years of age). Without booster seats, children may receive major injuries from the seat belts themselves.

Forward- or Rear-facing safety seats. Though we understand that children won't always want to ride in rear-facing seats, we think that after you watch the video below, you'll understand the importance of rear-facing seats.

Pay attention to the amount of force subjected to the neck in the forward facing seat. In young children, spinal damage caused by this force is the main cause of death. Then notice that the dummies secured in the rear-facing safety seats barely move. It's obvious which seat will result in more damage to your loved one.

Seat Belts Save Lives

Whether you're riding down the bypass or travelling cross country, we hope you wear your seat belt. Not only is it a good idea, but it's also the law in Kentucky. By doing so, you drastically reduce your chances of serious injury or death.

Research has shown that lap/shoulder seat belts, when used, reduce the risk of fatal injury to front seat occupants (age 5 and older) of passenger cars by 45 percent and the risk of moderate-to-critical injury by 50 percent.

For light-truck occupants, seat belts reduce the risk of fatal injury by 60 percent and the risk of moderate-to-critical injury by 65 percent.

Learn First Aid

You never know when an emergency's going to happen. And though we're just a quick phone call away, you can make a big difference by simply knowing what to do when bad things happen. Our training center routinely provides first aid and heart saver classes to anyone in the county. Simply give us a call at (502) 222-7250 to find out more or click the training link along the left side of this web page.