State Fire Marshal Goodwin: Remember Fire Prevention Week

One of the hats worn by NC Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin is that of State Fire Marshal.

As essentially the state's fire chief, he takes great pride and responsibility in working on projects with his 57,000 partners in the fire and rescue services in North Carolina.

This week is Fire Prevention Month, a regular project of all firefighters as they and Goodwin go about promoting fire and life safety measures.

The theme for this year is "Two Ways Out." It is important that homeowners and residents plan for two exits from every room, just in case one exit is blocked by fire or smoke. Also, Goodwin says, it is imperative that families create a home exit plan so family members know how to exit a house and where to meet up outside safe and away from a burning structure. And while on the subject of developing and practicing that emergency exit plan for your home, go ahead and get in the habit of testing your smoke alarms monthly and changing the batteries twice a year.

Commissioner Goodwin reminds folks that a great many fires begin in the kitchen, so be extra careful when cooking or preparing meals in or on your oven, or in your microwave.

WRAL-TV featured Insurance Commissioner Goodwin on its early morning show this week at this link.
And, countless newspapers and radio stations shared the state fire chief's message, doing their part to educate Tar Heel residents the importance of fire prevention.

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Commissioner of Baseball? Goodwin Throws Pitch for Kinston Indians

Kicks off National Safe Kids Week, April 25-May 1

North Carolina's Commissioner of Insurance, Wayne Goodwin, threw out the ceremonial first pitch at Sunday's Kinston Indians game to start this state's observance of National Safe Kids Week.

A baseball fan since his Little League and Babe Ruth League days in Hamlet and one time considered for a baseball scholarship, Goodwin took to the mound at the invitation of Safe Kids of Lenoir County in conjunction with Safe Kids North Carolina in its kick-off of National Safe Kids Week, which runs from April 25 through May 1.

The reason for this special week is to highlight the fact that children ages 5 to 14 account for nearly 40 percent of all sports-related injuries in this country according to statistics from Safe Kids USA. National Safe Kids Week marks the beginning of "trauma season," and Safe Kids coalitions will hold events statewide to educate kids, parents and caregivers about the best ways to keep kids safe both on and off the court.

"Anytime we can educate young people and their parents about injury prevention is a good thing," said Goodwin. (The Insurance Commissioner serves as chairman of the state organization.)

"More than 30 million kids play sports every year in our country, and on average 3.5 million of these kids are treated for sports-related injuries in hospitals, clinics and emergency rooms annually," said Insurance Commissioner and Safe Kids North Carolina Chair Wayne Goodwin.

"As a parent myself, I want to remind other parents in North Carolina that unintentional injuries remain the leading killer of kids; if there's a silver lining to this scary fact, it's that the majority of these injuries and deaths are preventable."

During the week before his first appearance at historic Grainger Stadium in Kinston, the Commissioner practiced his pitching in Raleigh with his Assistant Commissioner and Department webmaster, diligently throwing a baseball on Halifax Mall adjacent to the Department of Insurance. Why the practice?

"Well, the worst thing that could happen is for my pitch to bounce before crossing the plate! But, you know, my pitch at the Indians game was low and outside. It wasn't a strike, but it didn't bounce. Besides, even President Obama bounced his pitch at the Washington Nationals ballgame several weeks ago, so I feel a sense of satisfaction and no embarrassment," said Insurance Commissioner Goodwin.

As for the ballgame? The K-Tribe defeated the Myrtle Beach Pelicans 15-2, most notably with six home runs. Contributing significantly to Kinston's win: Goodwin didn't pitch the regular game!

The Commissioner is probably better off doing the "action hero" stuff instead of a baseball career, according to a News & Observer report last year.

Watch Short "Operation Medicine Drop" Video

Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin reported on "Operation Medicine Drop" here at this site previously.

Now, take approximately three minutes to learn in a nutshell about the program from the accompanying video. You'll hear first-hand from Commissioner Goodwin, and leaders from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and the State Capitol Police.



Further details are found at the official NC Department of Insurance website posting at this link.

It is also important to note that safely and securely disposing of unused or expired prescription drugs not only is a public safety protection, but it also prevents contamination of the water supply and funneling of these medicines to the black market, fueled by addiction and criminal activity.

Goodwin Meets With 300+ Eastern NC Leaders, State Safety Experts and Law Enforcement Officers

During an action-packed series of meetings and speeches over two days last week, state Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin met with 300-plus eastern North Carolina leaders, state safety experts and law enforcement officers. Carteret and Craven counties served as the host locations.

In Atlantic Beach he first delivered remarks to the Safe Kids North Carolina statewide annual meeting. (Goodwin serves as chairman of the association.) He and Safe Kids NC officers presented awards for outstanding leadership by county chapters and coalition members. Here at this link are some photographs from the conference.The next day, the Insurance Commissioner addressed sheriffs' deputies, highway patrolmen, police officers, firefighters, and volunteers at the North Carolina Child Passenger Safety Conference. With the theme of "Making a Difference in a Child's Life," the group covered a wide variety of conference topics and reviewed current related laws. Sponsoring this year's conference were the Office of State Fire Marshal, the NC Department of Insurance, the Governor's Highway Safety Program, UNC Highway Safety Research Center, and others.

Insurance Commissioner Goodwin then followed up with a New Bern luncheon with business and community leaders. Young insurance professionals and independent agents welcomed him, and learned from the regulator first-hand the consumer protections he and NCDOI are providing eastern North Carolina and the rest of the State. They were also reminded how the Tar Heel state benefits tremendously from some of the lowest automobile insurance rates and homeowners' insurance rates (whether coast, piedmont, or mountains) compared to most similar states.

Those in attendance further heralded the good government initiatives of Commissioner Goodwin, stressing his and NCDOI's accessibility and their unwavering commitment to public participation, transparency, and prompt constituent service.

"It's always a pleasure to travel across beautiful eastern North Carolina, and to join together with partners dedicated to public safety and consumer protection," said Insurance Commissioner Goodwin.

Operation Medicine Drop Disposes of Unused, Expired Prescriptions; NC Insurance Commissioner Goodwin Encourages Participation

Nearly 200 take-back events statewide offer public safe, secure way to dispose of medications

According to news today from your North Carolina Insurance Commissioner's office, poisoning from prescription medications is on the rise in North Carolina - since 1999 more than 75 percent of all unintentional poisonings were caused by prescription or over-the-counter medications (source N.C. Division of Public Health). Operation Medicine Drop is aimed at providing the public a safe and secure method for disposing of their prescription and over-the-counter medications.

Children ages 1-5 account for 23 percent of all emergency department visits related to poisoning and these types of injuries result in a high death rate of infants younger than 1 year old due to their smaller size (source World Health Organization 2008 Childhood Injury Report).

"During Poison Prevention Week, March 14-20, Operation Medicine Drop will host nearly 200 take-back events statewide where the public can drop off prescriptions or over-the-counter products that may have expired or are unused," said Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin. "Every Operation Medicine Drop event will have a law enforcement partner that will help North Carolinians dispose of their medications in a safe and secure way." Goodwin, who serves as the Safe Kids North Carolina state chair, added that additional event information is available on the Safe Kids Web site, www.ncsafekids.org.

The leading primary, public event will be led by Commissioner Goodwin on Halifax Mall in the State Government Complex in Raleigh on Monday, March 15.

While most parents and caregivers are familiar with other poisoning culprits such as cleaning supplies and poisonous plants, most childhood poisonings occur from medications. Whether a person is injured or dies is determined by many factors such as dosing, size of child, condition of child's health, and means of ingestion. The best form of prevention is to remove any risk from a child's environment.

Operation Medicine Drop is sponsored across North Carolina by Safe Kids North Carolina, the N.C. Department of Insurance, State Bureau of Investigation and Drug Enforcement Administration. For more information about Operation Medicine Drop or for a schedule of statewide take-back events, visit www.ncsafekids.org and click on the Operation Medicine Drop logo.

Don't Unwrap A Holiday Hazard This Christmas, Says Insurance Commissioner Goodwin

Emergency rooms see approximately 217,000 toy-related injuries each year. But the good news is tragedies from toys are most often injuries and not deaths. On average, only 15 children younger than 14 die from toy-related injuries each year according to Safe Kids USA. Choking on small parts is the most frequent cause of toy-related death.

"This holiday season, parents and caregivers should keep toy safety at the top of their shopping list," said Insurance Commissioner and Safe Kids N.C. State Chair, Wayne Goodwin. "Remind grandparents and other gift-givers that the right toy must be age-appropriate."


Toy Safety Tips

Stay up-to-date on toy recalls; sign up for e-mail alerts from the Consumer Product Safety Commission Web site.

If you buy or receive second-hand toys, check the CPSC's Web site to see if they are recalled.

Buy only age-appropriate toys. Toys with small parts (should be clearly marked) are not safe for children under 3.

Don't allow children under 3 to play with toys that belong to an older sibling and have small parts.

If you aren't sure whether a small part is a choking hazard, place the part into an empty toilet paper roll. If it fits, the toy is not safe for small children.

Always remove and discard the packaging from a toy before giving it to a baby or small child.

Check old and new toys regularly for damage such as sharp edges or small broken parts. Make any repairs or throw away the damaged toy.

Always supervise children at play.

Remember the number of toys recalled is a fraction of the 3 billion toys sold in the United States every year. Most toys on the market are considered safe and with some supervision and attention to age restrictions, everyone can have a safe and happy holiday season.

Safe Kids N.C. reaches out to parents, caregivers and children in 58 counties served by 36 coalitions across the state. Through these coalitions and partnerships, more than 6 million people have access to Safe Kids N.C. programming.

For more information, visit the Safe Kids NC Web site at either here or www.ncsafekids.org.

"Don't unwrap a holiday hazard," said Insurance Commissioner Goodwin. "Play it safe and smart by protecting kids from dangerous toys."