Representatives from the World Health Organization will visit Shawnee this week to solidify certification of the city as the first in Oklahoma designated as a SAFE Community through the National Safety Council’s Safe Communities Program.
The designation also will make Shawnee the fifth community in the nation to be certified as a SAFE Community.
“Pottawatomie County Health Department was chosen by the State Health Department to participate in the initiative,” said Don Lynch, Shawnee-Pottawatomie County emergency management director. “Shawnee was chosen because it is a safe environment to live and work in ... There is good diversity, communication and depth in our community.”
The SAFE Communities America designation is awarded to communities that have demonstrated leadership in promoting safety, reducing injuries, and preparing their citizens for natural and man-made disasters.
As part of the process, SAFE Communities representatives will be here to perform an assessment of the community’s safety promotion and injury prevention programs.
WHO representatives will seek to “validate the information in our application,” Lynch said. That information includes programs that are available in Shawnee and that serve as indicators of an effort to promote safety and quality of life in the area.
Certification is for a three-year period and requires annual reporting and reviews, Lynch said.
The designation letter is expected by the early part of 2010 and a designation ceremony will likely be slated for the spring.
For Shawnee, the designation has many benefits that can be summed up in three primary categories, Lynch said.
“First, there is a synergy of all the programs in the community, where they come together to share ideas,” he said. “Second, it is great for the city when we apply for grants and it will demonstrate our abilities. And third, it is a great economic development tool.”
In Shawnee, there are more than 380 programs that address safety in the area. Many of these programs target children up to 14 years old, with the second highest number of programs geared toward young adults ages 15 to 24.
Other categories include adult programs for those age 25 to 64; senior programs for those 65 and older; programs for the home; ones available through the school system; and those focusing on traffic safety, violence prevention, leisure activities and sports activities. The Safe Community Shawnee Steering Committee, which has been working on the project for nine months, submitted a list of those programs to the WHO Certifying Center.
Shawnee Emergency Management Technician Jennifer Dawson said the SAFE Community designation is a great opportunity for Shawnee.
“It will have a ripple effect,” she said, and can help the city in future grant applications. “Shawnee is going to benefit and the citizens are going to benefit.”
To welcome the WHO representatives, area businesses are asked to put, “Shawnee is a Safe Community,” or “Shawnee Welcomes WHO” on their marquees, she said.
SAFE Communities America is a program of the National Safety Council and the World Health Organization. The National Safety Council is a not-for-profit, public service, mission-based organization which is committed to educating and influencing people to prevent unintentional, or accidental, injury and death.
“This designation is an incredible milestone for Shawnee,” Mayor Linda Peterson said.
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BETHEL, Okla. —
