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Water Awareness in Residential Neighborhoods |
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In 2000, after the drowning of a young child in a Franklin Township retention pond, Lieutenant Jerry Richert, dive team commander of the Franklin Township Fire Department, realized the need for a community awareness program that
addressed the potential dangers of these ponds and other bodies of water. The Water Awareness in Residential Neighborhoods (WARN) program was developed to meet this need. Though the main emphasis of the program is retention pond safety, the program was been expanded to include other topics such as the identification of water hazards in the home (buckets, tubs, toilets, etc.), pool safety, ice, and other common but potentially dangerous bodies of water.
In the summer of 2000, the drowning death of a six-year-old boy in a Fishers retention pond sparked responses from both the Town Council and local Fire Department. The Town of Fishers became the first community in the state of Indiana to enact legislation that called for mandatory signage around all retention ponds.
In addition, the Fishers Town Council recognized the Fishers Fire Department for the water safety program it had developed. When the Fishers and Franklin Township Fire Departments met in the summer of 2001 and compared presentations, they combined their efforts and created the current version of the WARN program that could be easily adopted and implemented by any fire department.
The WARN program has two versions, one geared towards adults and the other toward youth. The youth program has been presented in numerous schools since its creation. Each of the participating schools has responded with positive comments and has asked for the program to be shared again in the future.
The WARN program has been presented in auditorium, classroom, and outdoor settings. The adult program can be shared with fire departments, churches, homeowners associations, local businesses, and community groups to name just a few.
The WARN program is a non-for-profit program designed to support itself through the sale of packaged educational materials to any interested parties. The packaged materials contain a CD Rom, which includes the three versions of the PowerPoint presentation, tri-fold brochures geared toward educating an adult audience, two live action education videos, member access to the WARN website, and children’s activity booklets.
When the WARN program was developed, it was with the intention of providing all of the educational tools necessary to help convey the important message of water safety for children and parents alike. We believe that the educational package that has been compiled for the WARN program meets those needs.
We would invite you to take a few minutes to explore the WARN program website to learn more about the WARN program.
Thank you for your interest and potential participation in the WARN program
Official W.A.R.N. Website
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