EESF Celebrates 17th Annual Safety Week

The Foundation receives a significant response from its 2010 Safety Week.

by EESF staff 

National Elevator Escalator Safety Awareness Week (Safety Week) provides a focal point for the industry, on a local and national level, to join together as individuals, companies and organizations and spread the word about public safety in the elevator and escalator industry. In 2010, Safety Week was celebrated on November 14-20. In addition to promoting public-safety awareness for the industry’s equipment, Safety Week celebrates the contributions made by the industry to the quality of life. Volunteers reach millions of riders with important safety messages in many locations during this event. 

Safety Week is led by the Elevator Escalator Safety Foundation (EESF), which sends requests to each state’s governor requesting an official proclamation of Safety Week in the respective state. Mayors of the top 200 most populated U.S. cities also receive a proclamation request. The Foundation received a remarkable response in 2010, with 23 governors and 46 mayors signing the proclamation. This increased from 18 states and 32 cities in 2009. 

The following governors and mayors signed Safety Week proclamations in 2010:

Anchorage, Alaska 

Paul Bender, manager of Construction and Modernization at Otis Elevator in Anchorage, Alaska, presented the Safe-T Rider^© program for the third time. Bender educated 45 Anchorage third graders and their teachers. 

Los Angeles

On November 16, 2010, Mitsubishi Electric & Electronics USA and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) promoted Safety Week at three MTA stations. Volunteers from Mitsubishi Electric and MTA handed out EESF brochures, coloring books and information pamphlets, while answering questions from riders. EESF posters were utilized and installed at many locations throughout the entire transit system. The event was well received and even prompted a YouTube video. Mitsubishi Electric volunteers were very enthusiastic and appreciated the opportunity to discuss safety directly with the public.

Mitsubishi Elevator & Escalator volunteer employees included: Mike Corbo, Erik Zommers, Rob Slack, Hiroko Kane, Marlene Marshall, Betty Wilson, Ivan Andrews, Kathy Dozal, Jarrad Jones, Harrison Gray, Peter Park, Lance, Kuramoto, Jeff Linn, Kim Halladay and Terry Williams. Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority volunteer employees included: Loreta Ferem, Bridgette Murray, Fe Alcid-Little, Onetta Gray, Ron Gregg, Eugene Villacorta, Nicole Honaker, Chris Talamantez, Vance Gilless and Rich Morallo. 

Chicago

Tom Sybert of C.J. Anderson & Co. said of his volunteer work:

“Today was my day to give back and share the message with the general public about elevator and escalator safety. I’ve [wanted] to do this for a long time, and after permission from the company [that] manages Union Station in Chicago and a special permit, I was set. 

“I had packed my backpack full of EESF literature but chose the Rise Up Safe Rider brochure for my main handout. This was perfect, as the majority of people I saw were adults. I spoke with an elderly couple from New York who had just arrived from a long trip looking weary and lost. I helped them find the exit and handed them a Rise Up Safe Rider brochure, along with some Safe-T Rider coloring books and stickers for their grandkids, who they were in town visiting. 

“I positioned myself on the lower lobby by the escalators, believing that this was a perfect place to stand and passed out the brochures. The biggest hit of the morning happened when families with kids in strollers would pass by looking for the elevator. I directed them, but first took the opportunity to pass out the Safe-T Rider activity book and [give] each child a sticker. They truly seemed to love these items. It seemed to be the highlight of what appeared to be a long journey for many of them. 

“Looking back, the kids are who really made this day special. I’m happy to have participated in Safety Week and plan on participating next year. Thank you, Union Station, for permitting me to hand out the Rise Up Safe Rider brochures to the people who traveled through your historic building and for helping them understand the importance of Safety Week.”

RBN & Associates worked with the Foundation to get the word out about Safety Week to its elevator-industry clients. Matthew Dennett put together an e-mail blast that included a copy of EESF’s Safety Week brochure so that each client could look over the safety information. The company also encouraged its clients to celebrate Safety Week with their own presentations.

New York City 

Volunteers from the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) scheduled program presentations nearly every school day of Safety Week. In all, volunteers went to 15 area public schools and two senior centers, where the two organizations’ employees taught participants how to be safe on elevators, escalators and moving walks. 

As the department visited PS 124 in Chinatown, Elevator Inspector Supervisor Louis Rodriguez had the opportunity to appear twice on the morning news show NY1. As New York City has approximately 66,000 elevators and 22,000 escalators, Rodriguez explained that the department has come up with the safety slogan of “Ring, Relax and Wait” in an effort to help children remember the safety rules they learn with the Safe-T Rider program. 

He explained that DOB teams up with EESF each year to educate as many children as possible on safe riding rules. PS 124 Principal Alice Hom also appeared on the news show to reiterate how important the Safe-T Rider program is to her students as a proactive form of safety.

Toronto

In recognition of 2010 Safety Week, the Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA) promoted the importance of safe riding on elevating devices to Ontarians through several activities. Promotional safety signage was featured at major shopping centers and office buildings throughout the province, with potential exposure to millions of shoppers and tenants, in partnership with Oxford Properties, Cadillac Fairview and Brookfield Properties. TSSA also continued its partnership with the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), potentially reaching one million daily transit users with escalator safety tips through its “Move with the Grooves” TTC Escalator Safety subway posters, as well as voice script recordings and screen messages on TTC’s public address and platform-video-screen systems. Lastly, TSSA issued a news release entitled “Going Up or Down? Ride Safely on Escalators,” which offered key safety reminders for the public to keep in mind each time they ride an escalator. 

Nashville, Tennessee 

KONE, Inc. employees in Nashville went to Scales Elementary in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, where they presented the Safe-T Rider program to first- and second-grade children. The team then went to Ruby Majors Elementary in Nashville and presented the program to first-grade students. Overall, the group
educated approximately 450 children in 21 different classrooms. Volunteers were Barry Lambert, Kreigh Bourff (who played Safe-T Rider), Jeremy Creech, Ty Jewell, Tex Stohl, La Doris Patton and Donna Montgomery. Montgomery said the children “were very attentive and absorbed the information like sponges. They were eager to share what they had learned with Safe-T Rider on his visits to each classroom.”

Salt Lake City

Chris and Nikki Harris of A+ Elevators & Lifts were invited to a third-grade class at Foxboro Elementary School to teach about elevator and escalator safety. Nikki Harris said, “It was a blast teaching the class. We look forward to educating new third-grade students next year.”

Worldwide

KONE, Inc. encouraged all its North American employees to forward a Safety Week document to as many people as possible in order for the campaign to “go viral.” The company suggested that employees send e-mail to friends, family and coworkers.

The Smithsonian Institute distributed safe riding rules to all Smithsonian Institute staff worldwide. Members were reminded of each of the rules involving elevators, escalators and moving walks. This safety message was also included in the correspondence: “At the Smithsonian Institution, we ask that if you see someone using escalators or elevators in an unsafe manner, that you politely ask them to stop and/or notify security.”

Governors

• Alabama – Governor Bob Riley
• Arkansas – Governor Mike Beebe
• Colorado – Governor Bill Ritter
• Connecticut – Governor Jodi Rell
• Florida – Governor Charlie Crist
• Georgia – Governor Sonny Perdue
• Iowa – Governor Chester Culver
• Illinois – Governor Pat Quinn
• Kentucky – Governor Steven Beshear
• Louisiana – Governor Bobby Jindal
• Maryland – Governor Martin O’Malley
• Michigan – Governor Jennifer M. Granholm
• Montana – Governor Jeremiah Nixon
• Nebraska – Governor Dave Heineman
• New Mexico – Governor Bill Richardson 
• North Carolina – Governor Beverly Eaves Perdue
• Oregon – Governor Theodore R. Kulongoski
• Rhode Island – Governor Donald Carcieri
• Tennessee – Governor Phil Bredesen
• Utah – Governor Gary Richard Herbert
• Washington – Governor Christine Gregorie
• Wisconsin – Governor Jim Doyle
• West Virginia – Governor Earl Ray Tomblin

Mayors

• City of Arlington, Texas – Mayor Robert N. Cluck
• County of Arlington, Virginia – Chairman Jay Fisette
• City of Austin, Texas – Mayor Lee Leffingwell
• City of Baltimore – Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake
• City of Bellevue, Washington – Mayor Don Davidson
• City of Birmingham, Alabama – Mayor William Bell
• City of Boston – Mayor Thomas Menino
• City of Buffalo, New York – Mayor Byron W. Brown
• City of Chattanooga, Tennessee – Mayor Ron Littlefield
• City of Chicago – Mayor Richard Daley
• City of Colorado Springs, Colorado – Mayor Lionel Rivera
• City of Columbia, South Carolina – Mayor Stephen Benjamin
• District of Columbia – Mayor Adrian Fenty
• City of Durham, North Carolina – Mayor William Bell
• City of Fort Wayne, Indiana – Mayor Thomas C. Henry
• City of Fremont, California – Mayor Bob Wasserman
• County of Hawai’i – Mayor William Kenoi
• City of Henderson, Nevada – Mayor Mike Beebe
• City of Jackson, Mississippi – Mayor Harvey Johnson
• City of Jacksonville, Florida – Mayor John Peyton
• City of Kansas City, Missouri – Mayor Mark Funkhouser
• City of Las Vegas – Mayor Oscar B. Goodman
• City of Louisville, Kentucky – Mayor Jerry Abramson
• City of McKinney, Texas – Mayor Brian Loughmiller
• City of Mesquite, Texas – Mayor John Monaco
• City of Mobile, Alabama – Mayor Sam Jones
• City of Montgomery, Alabama – Mayor Todd Strange
• City of Nashville, Tennessee – Mayor Karl F. Dean
• City of New Haven, Connecticut – Mayor John DeStefano
• City of Norfolk, Virginia – Mayor Paul Fraim
• City of Ontario, Canada – Mayor Paul Leon
• City of Orlando – Mayor Buddy Dyer
• City of Pittsburgh – Mayor Luke Ravenstahl
• City of Rochester, New York – Mayor Robert Duffy
• City of Rockford, Illinois – Mayor Lawrence Morrissey
• City of Sacramento, California – Mayor Kevin Johnson
• City of San Antonio – Mayor Julian Castro
• City of Savannah, Georgia – Mayor Otis Johnson
• City of Scottsdale, Arizona – Mayor Jim Lane
• City of Sioux Falls, South Dakota – Mayor Mike Huether
• City of Springfield, Massachusetts – Mayor Domenic Sarno
• City of Stockton, California – Mayor Ann Johnston
• City of Tampa, Florida – Mayor Pam Iorio
• City of Tulsa, Oklahoma – Mayor Dewey Bartlett
• City of Warren, Michigan – Mayor James Fouts
• City of Winston-Salem, North Carolina – Mayor Allen Joines