WHAT IS SLEDSMART?
SLEDSMART
is a province-wide,
snowmobile safety awareness program. This
is the first of its kind in the province as it
incorporates
locally
developed materials. This is important
because it deals with the highest cause of snowmobile-related deaths in
the
province...DROWNING.
The
message may seem unusual, but
telling people to STAY OFF OR PREPARE TO GO THROUGH, recognizes the
need to
travel over ice-covered bodies of water in Newfoundland
and Labrador. Although
staying off is surely the only sure way of
preventing a
drowning from occurring.
DEVELOPED RESOURCES
Resources
which were developed by the
program include;
- 25 page
safety manual which is used by volunteers with
little snowmobiling background.
- A full
color brochure specific to crossing ice-covered
bodies of water.
- A
hypothermia brochure
- A safety
tips/checklist card
- Overhead
instructional package and notes
- Promotional
items
- 24 minute safety video to complement the
program
In
December of 1997, the RCMP partnered with the Lifesaving Society in the
delivery of the SledSmart program and continues to offer the program
through
Community Policing officers in detachments across the island.
Initially
twelve officers were trained as facilitators for the program and they,
in turn,
trained more individuals to deliver the SledSmart message.
In 1998, an additional twelve facilitator
kits were added to meet the demand for the program across the island.
Today
there are approximately 145 facilitators province-wide.
For
the 2005-2006 winter season, the program is being provided once again,
free-of-charge, to interested groups and individuals through RCMP
detachments
in each region of the province.
If
you would like to participate in a SledSmart education session or are
interested in becoming a SledSmart facilitator, please contact your
local RCMP
detachment or call the Lifesaving Society at
(709) 576-1953 or email us
at lifeguard@nl.rogers.com
Public
Service
Announcement
Snowmobile
Safety
Sledsmart
Safety Announcement (30
secs) - 1.2 MB self-extracting ZIP file.
"Ice and alcohol
mix. Ice, alcohol and snowmobiles don't. Stay off the ice or prepare to
go through. It can happen to you."
If you have difficulty viewing
this video once you have downloaded it, try right clicking the file,
select properties, and then click on the preview tab
