Safe Community programme outline. Application submitted August 2009, Site Visit September 2009, Designation October 13th 2009.

Country: United States of Amercia (USA)
Number of inhabitants: 482,705 (2008 US Census estimate)
Programme started year: 1999
International Safe Communities Network Membership: Pending designation 2009
Full application available: www.safecommunities.org.nz/sc/mdc

For further information contact:
Name:  Cheryl Wittke
Institution:  Safe Community Coalition of Madison and Dane County
Address:  P.O. Box 6652
City:  Madison, WI  53716-0652
Country:  USA
Phone (country code included): 001.608.256.6713
E-mail: cwittke@safercommunity.net

www.safercommunity.net (Safe Community Activity Information)
www.cityofmadison.com (official City of Madison, WI website)
www.co.dane.wi.us (official Dane County, WI website)

In Madison, Dane County there are a range of initiatives that have been put in place by the community covering safety promotion activities:

For the age group

• Children 0-14 years:
  Safe Routes to School, Walk Our Children to School Week, School Traffic Safety Committee (with Madison Area SAFE KIDS Coalition)
  Safety Town (with Madison School Community Recreation)
  Safe Home Visits
  Neighborhood Safe Walking Routes Project/Pedestrian Flag Initiatives
  Safety Sunday at Madison Children’s Museum
  NHTSA National Tween Safety Belt Demonstration Project Site (2005-2008)
   “Is Your Child Ready to Stay Home Alone? Guidelines for Parents” Public Education Campaign
   National Night Out.

• Youth 15-24 years:
  NHTSA National Tween Safety Belt Demonstration Project Site (2005-2008)
  NHTSA National Rural Safety Belt Demonstration Project Site (2003 – 2006)
  National Safety Council “Alive at 25” Driving Course
  Neighborhood Safe Walking Routes Project/Pedestrian Flag Initiatives
  Slow Down Campaigns
  Stop on Red Campaigns
  Suicide Prevention Task Force, Suicide Prevention Summit and QPR Gatekeeper Training for Suicide Prevention
  Town Hall Meetings on Underage Drinking
  National Night Out

• Adults 25-64 years:
  Suicide Prevention Task Force, Suicide Prevention Summit and QPR Gatekeeper Training for Suicide Prevention
  Neighborhood Safe Walking Routes Project/Pedestrian Flag Initiatives
  Slow Down Campaigns
  Stop on Red Campaigns
  “Religiously Buckle Up” Campaign with African American Council of Churches of Dane County
  Latino Drivers Education Program with Madison Area Technical College
  Community Traffic Safety Summits
  NHTSA National Tween Safety Belt Demonstration Project Site (2005-2008)
  NHTSA National Rural Safety Belt Demonstration Project Site (2003 – 2006)
  NHTSA Impaired Motorcycling Reduction Demonstration Project (with Innocorp, Ltd. 2005 - 2008)
  Bicycle Safety Collaboration
  Falls Prevention Task Force, community education and exercise classes

• Older Adults 65+ years: 
  Falls Prevention Task Force, community education campaigns and events, clinician education on falls prevention and risk assessment screening, coordination of evidence-based community falls prevention exercise and self-efficacy courses (Stepping On, NoFalls)
  NHTSA Older Adult Pedestrian Safety Demonstration Project Site (2003 – 2006)
  Suicide Prevention Task Force, Suicide Prevention Summit and QPR Gatekeeper Training for Suicide Prevention

In the following Environments:

• Home: 
  Falls Prevention: Home Safety Assessments
  Suicide Prevention: Lethal Means Restriction Public Education
  “Is Your Child Ready to Stay Home Alone? Guidelines for Parents” Public Education
  Child Safety: Safe Home Visits
  
  
• Traffic:
  National Safety Council “Alive at 25” Driving Course
  Neighborhood Safe Walking Routes Project/Pedestrian Flag Initiatives
  Slow Down Campaigns
  Stop on Red Campaigns
  “Religiously Buckle Up” Campaign with African American Council of Churches of Dane County
  Latino Drivers Education Program with Madison Area Technical College
  Community Traffic Safety Summits
  NHTSA National Tween Safety Belt Demonstration Project Site (2005-2008)
  NHTSA National Rural Safety Belt Demonstration Project Site (2003 – 2006)
  NHTSA Impaired Motorcycling Reduction Demonstration Project (with Innocorp, Ltd. 2005 - 2008)
  NHTSA National Older Adult Pedestrian Safety Demonstration Project Site (2003 – 2006)
  Bicycle Safety Collaboration

•  Occupational: 
  Corporate fleet curriculum development and driver training on yield to pedestrian laws as part of NHTSA Older Adult Pedestrian Safety Demonstration Project Site (2003 – 2006)

• School:
  Safe Routes to School
  Walk Our Children to School Week
  School Traffic Safety Committee
  NHTSA National Tween Safety Belt Demonstration Project Site (2005-2008)
  NHTSA National Rural Safety Belt Demonstration Project Site (2003 – 2006)
   
• Sports:
  Web-based articles on sports safety for dissemination by partners via newsletters, church bulletins, weekly newspapers
   Education of parents and children on appropriate safety gear at Safety Sunday at Madison Children’s Museum.
  
  
• Leisure: 
  Web-based articles on water, boating, recreational vehicle-use safety for dissemination by partners via newsletters, church bulletins, weekly newspapers
  

Violence prevention (intentional injuries):

• National Night Out
• Promotion of events and activities of partners including Wisconsin Council on Prevention of Child Abuse, Domestic Abuse Intervention Services
  

Suicide prevention (self-inflected injuries):

• Suicide Prevention Task Force of Safe Communities coordinates an annual suicide prevention conference
• QPR Gatekeeper Training
• Clinician training on suicide risk assessment
• Development of new resources and dissemination of partner resource materials (access to mental health services “maps”)
• Survivor of suicide support groups
• Development of lethal means restriction public education campaign
  

Programs aiming at “High risk-groups”:

• Suicide Prevention Task Force activities are geared toward higher-risk groups (older adults, youth, middle-aged males)
• Falls Prevention Task Force activities are geared toward community-dwelling older adults most at risk of falling
• Traffic safety activities are geared toward young drivers, motorcyclists, African American and Latino community members, “tweens”, young and older adult pedestrians
  

Surveillance of injuries: 

• Where:  Dane County, Wisconsin; Surveillance activities conducted by Public Health – Madison and Dane County
• Population base: 482,705
• Started year: 1999
  

Produced information material, pamphlets:

• Safe Communities Toolkit:  Pedestrian Safety for Older Adults
• “Is Everybody Buckled Up” Tween Safety Restraint Initiative Program Kit (in English and Spanish)
• Take Action to Prevent a Fall (brochure and poster)
• Keep Youth Alive and Driving (campaign resources)
• Preventing Access to Methods of Suicide: Firearms, Poisoning, Suffocation/Hanging brochure (brochure)
• Access to Mental Health Services in Dane County (flyer)
• Slow Down Campaign (yard sign design and campaign resources)
• Stop on Red Campaign (burma shave sign messages and campaign resources)
• Is Your Child Ready to Stay Home Alone? Guidelines for Parents (brochure in English and Spanish)
• Pedestrian Flags: Coming to an Intersection Near You! (brochure)
• Flags Over Dane County Adopt-a-Crosswalk Program (brochure)
• StreetShare: Streets are for people, not just cars (brochure)
• Moving Out Madison: Safe Walking Routes Map to Goodman Pool (brochure)
• Share the Road with Bicycles (television PSAs)
• Share the Road with Motorcycles (television PSA)
• Ride Sober message for motorcyclists (television PSA)
• Avoid Distraction: Stop on Red (television PSAs)
• Stop on Red message geared toward youth (radio PSAs)
• Ready-made newsletter articles for partners to disseminate (web-based)
• Annual Reports: 2004 – 2008
• Quarterly Newsletters: 2001 – 2008 
  

International commitments:

• Has attended two National  Safe Communities Conference, and injury conferences
  Member of Safe Communities America
  As a part of the Safe Community family we would make every effort to participate in international activities whenever possible.
  Will attend an International Conference within there years of designation
• We would welcome any opportunity to host a Safe Community Conference.
  

Staff:

Number: 5
Permanent: 2 full-time employees
Temporary: 3 temporary contractors doing project work.
Organization: Safe Communities of Madison and Dane County
Specific intersectoral leadership group: governed by a volunteer Board of Directors with guidance from specialized task forces and workgroups.
General public health/health promotion group: Technical Advisory Committee and specialized task forces