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This year's School Safety Week, being held this year from October 17 to 23 by the Canada Safety Council, will spotlight "latchkey kids," those children who begin or end their school day without a parent or guard- ian at home. The Council has estimated that one-third of all children aged six to 13 are latchkey kids, and as such they are sometimes left alone at home for several hours a day, time enough for them to face some real difficulties. "This is why the Council has chosen Latchkey Logic as the theme this year,' a Council news release explained. "The campaign emphas- izes that children should know how to deal with emergencies that might arise while parents are away." For the campaign, the CSC has prepared a number of tips to improve the safety of latchkey children. They are as follows: (1) Write out all emergency tele- phone numbers (e.g. police, doctor, fire, poison control centre, and am- bulance), plus the work numbers of the parents, a neighbour who is at home during the day, and instructions on how emergency services can reach the home. Keep this information next to the telephone. Since children learn best by "doing," provide opportunities for them to practice placing emergen- cy calls (with the phone unplugged). (2) For incoming calls, children should keep their answers short and never advertise that they are staying alone. Instruct them to answer with something like "My father is taking a nap. May I take a message?' or *'I am sorry, my mother can't come to the phone right now? May I have her return your call?"' (3) If the doorbell rings, tell your children to look out a window or peephole where they will not be seen by the caller. If the child does not recognize the person at the door, he or she should not answer it. (4) Instruct your children to call you when they arrive at home. They should also call if they have had a sudden change of plans that will bring them home later than usual. (5) Encourage children to stick with a buddy on their way to and from school, on errands or at play. (6) Point out the places children can go for help if they are approach- ed by a stranger or if they get into some other difficulty on their way home from school. These places in- clude a Block Parent home, a trusted neighbour's house, or a store. (7) Child-proof your home. Lock up poisonous products (e.g. cleaning supplies, pesticidies; medicines) and store them in their original con- tainers, never in food or beverage containers where they might be in- gested by mistake. Look for loose mats, trailing cords and other tripping hazards, as falls are the leading cause of accidents at home. Clear our fire hazards such as rubbish in the attic or basement, frayed electrical cords or oily rags, and keep lighters and matches out of children's reach. Place furniture so it does not block exits or obstruct normal traffic pat- terns. Keep ammunition and unload- ed guns locked up separately. Involve your children in the 'home hazard hunt. (8) Review with your children all of the emergency escape routes and alternate escape routes in your home. Children should know which situa- tions require them to leave the home immediately before calling for help, such as a gas leak or a fire. (9) Set limitations. Generally, it is better to focus on what is permitted rather than what is not. Involve the children in setting rules. (10) Enroll children in a basic first aid course. The St. John Ambulance offers a short course for school-aged children called "We Can Help."' (11) Hire babysitters certified from a recognized agency. The Canada Safety Council offers a comprehen- sive Babysitters' Training Course for youth 12 years of age and over which covers the following: Rights and responsibilities, child 'development and behavioural pro- blems, child care, nutrition, child safety, basic first aid, handling emergencies, care of sick children, games and play activities for child- ren, and babysitting children with special needs. The Latchkey Logic campaign also includes a fun quiz for children, with eight multiple-choice questions. Try this quiz with your youngsters: (1) You are walking home from school, and a man drives up to the curb and asks you for directions to the drugstore. What should you do? a) Tell the man that you don't know where the drugstore is, and keep on walking, b) Go up to the car and help the man as well as you can, or c) Pretend you didn't hear the ques- tion, and keep on walking. Answer: (c) It's best for your child not to engage in any conversation with a stranger. Once a child is drawn into such a discussion, the stranger takes control of the situtation. If ignored, a stranger is unlikely to persist with the con- versation. (2) You come home from school and are just about to enter the front door, when you hear a noise that sounds like somebody is inside. You know that nobody is supposed to be at home at this time. What should you do? a) Go inside and see who is making the noise, b) Open the door slightly and yell that you are calling the police, or c) Run to a trusted neighbour's house and telephone your parents or the police. Answer: c) Make sure that your child understands that he or she should _, never enter the home when there is the possibility of danger inside. Your child should .be told when you or other family members are arriving, either early or late. Don't encourage your child to play the hero by con- fronting danger. (2) Aman knocks on the doors and tells you that he's selling calendars. He asks you to let him in so he can show you one. What should you do? a) Don't open the door. Tell him that you're not interested, Want to improve your business? call Betty St. Amand 825-3747 ings" NEWS SCENES for sale at caaptured for you by WHITE SAND LAKE | PHOTOGRAPHY Spend some time in the country and experience the ageless bueaty of the North Shore of Lake Superior 'MAGIC S. JOHNSON HEWSON 824-3155 Professional Photography b) Invite him inside to show you the calendar, or c) Tell him to come back later, when your parents are at home. Answer: (a) Latchkey kids should never admit that they are at home alone. By telling the person at the door that they're not in- terested, they avoid the question of who is in the house. Some parents prefer that their children never answer the door when they are alone. If someone persists in their attempts to get into the house, a child should be instructed to call the police. (4) You are reading a book in your bedroom when you smell smoke coming from the living room. You check to see what's happening, and find that the curtain and wallpaper are on fire. What should you do? a) Run to a neighbour's house and call the fire department, b) Try to put out the fire yourself, or c) Make a phone call to one of your , parents and ask what they want you to do. Answer: (a) In a house fire, your child's life is more important than possessions. They should get themselves and their brothers and sisters out of the building as soon as possible. Even a $mall fire has the potential to become an uncontrollable inferno in only a short period of time. Again, make sure that your child knows that it's all right to run from danger. (5) Your younger brother finds a can of stain remover which should have been locked away. You think he may have swallowed some. What should you do? a) Call the telephone operator, b) Call the Poison Control Centre number, or c) Try to make him throw up. Answer: (b) Make sure that your child knows ex- actly who to call and what the cor- rect telephone number is for each emergecny. Ina crisis, a child would likely be unable to.find the time to hunt through the phone book for help. Leave a list of all emergency numbers near the telephone, including the numbers of parents, relatives, neigh- bours, and friends of the family. (6) Someone calls you on the tele- phone and asks to speak with your father. You don't recognize the per- son's voice. What should you do? a) Tell the person to call back later, when you father is home, b). Tell the person that your father can't come to the phone at the mo- ment, and take down the caller's name, phone number, and a brief , message, Or c) Hang up without saying a word. Answer: (b) By telling the caller that father can't come to the phone, children can avoid having to admit that they are home alone. It's certainly important for them to take a message, though, because in all likelihood, the caller has no ill intentions. Instruct your \ Terrace Bay-Schreiber News, Wednesday, October 15, 1986, page 7 It's never too late to start learning safety child on how you would like them to answer calls, so they will be comfort- able when the phone rings. 7 (7) You're doing your homework when suddenly all of the lights go out in the house. What should you do? a) Run to the fuse box and try to trun the power back on, b) Grab a flashlight and call a parent or neighbour, or c) Light some candles so that you can finish your homework. Answer: (b) Make sure your child knows the loca- tion of a well-charged flashlight for this type of emergency. Never sug- gest that your child should use candles in the dark, as they are an ob- vious fire hazard. Don't ask a child to replace a fuse either, especially in the dark. After calling a parent, the child can get further instructions on whether or not he or she should go to the home of a neighbour. (8) Your sister accidentally drops a bar of soap into the toilet and flushes it down. The toilet begins to overflow. What should you do? a) Call the police, b) Flush the toilet again, to wash down the bar of soap, or c) Try to tur off the valve behind the toilet and mop up the spilled water. Answer: (c) If the child has any knowledge of toilet mechanics, turning off the valve behind the toilet is a good idea. Otherwise, the child should be in- structed to leave the toilet alone, and not flush it, until it's been unblocked. Hydro hike Ontario Hydro has announced it will be increasing its rates by 5.5 per cent, effective January 1, though it is not yet known what effect this hike will have on area residents. The company's Schreiber: office noted last week that any increase for its customers in Schreiber will not take effect until March or April of next year, following a rate study of the Hydro Commission in Schreiber. Terrace Bay Hydro could not be . reached for comment before press time. Ontario Hydro announced the increase in a recent news release, pointing out that the 5.5 per cent hike is lower than the 5.9 per cent rise recommended by the Ontario Energy Board. Hydro itself had proposed a 4.9 per cent increase. The new rate, the release added, reflects changes in Hydro's financial outlook. It will represent an addition of about $2.20 a month to the bill- of a typical municipal residential customer using an average total of 850 kilowatt- hours. \ The release conceded that mun- icipal utility customers could pay slightly more or less, depending on the individual utility's costs. To inquire about your office at 825-3315. The Corporation of the Township of Terrace Bay Notic : Final Installment of Property Taxes Residents are reminded that the final installment on your 1986 property taxes is due October 31st. After October 31st, a penalty of 1.1% is added to outstanding accounts. taxes, call the municipal RETIREMENT PLANNING SEMINAR Presented by : MIDLAND DOHERTY LIMITED The following topics will be discussed: BOY SCOUTS OF CANADA "APPLE DAY" Oct. 18, 1986 FROM 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in SCHREIBER (1) How Registered Retirement Savings Plans can lessen or eliminate the impact of Income Tax. (2) Explanation of the different types of RRSP's available with regard to: Liquidity, Growth, Safety and Flexibility. (3) How to generate Income from your RRSP. THIS SEMINAR WILL BE OF SPECIAL INTEREST TO THOSE RECEIVING A SETTLEMENT FROM ANY COMPANY PENSION PLAN. PLAN NOW TO ATTEND (Either of the two Sessions) Date: Saturday, October 18th, 1986 Time: 10:00 a.m. or 1:00 p.m. Location: Terrace Bay High School Campus RESERVATIONS SUGGESTED: Please call Robin Smith Collect at 622-3971 or 623-5005.