NSC Congratulates Mt. Lebanon, PA on Accreditation as a Safe Community

Mt. Lebanon is the 30th community to receive the distinction

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Oct 30, 2017, 14:06 ET

ITASCA, Ill., Oct. 30, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Safety Council and Safe Communities America congratulates the residents and representatives of Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania, for becoming an accredited Safe Community. Mt. Lebanon has demonstrated the capacity to take strategic and effective actions to prevent injury and promote a culture of safety for all of its citizens. Through special emphasis on traffic safety and a partnership with local schools, Mt. Lebanon has engaged all levels of the community in promoting safety.

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"As the 30^th accredited Safe Community, Mt. Lebanon joins a network of cities, towns and universities in the United States and across the world which are making safety an everyday priority," said Carrie Nie, director of Safe Communities America. "With this dedication to the safety of their friends and neighbors, the representatives and citizens of Mt. Lebanon have shown that they are truly a community with character."

"While Mt. Lebanon as a community has always been committed to improving the health, safety and quality of life for our residents and the general public, this process has helped us refine our strategies and guide our future efforts for injury prevention and reduction on a coordinated broad scale," said Lt. Duane Fisher of the Mt. Lebanon Safe Communities America Coalition. "The coalition endeavor has reinvigorated our strong ties and is helping to drive us to procure improved data while more critically evaluating issues facing our community in order to obtain the best results."

According to the NSC State of Safety Report, more than 70 percent of the preventable deaths in the U.S. occur in homes and communities. No state received an "A" for safety in the report, and Pennsylvania received a "D" overall. However, Mt. Lebanon shows that by focusing efforts on local levels, often where the biggest risks are, states and smaller communities can have the largest impact.

Before achieving accreditation, Mt. Lebanon held naloxone training for first responders and school district employees, equipped schools, fire and police departments with naloxone kits and installed two 24/7 drop boxes in the community, which collect an average of 1,300 pounds of unused medications annually. The community also established a traffic safety campaign designed to prevent crashes involving vehicles, pedestrians and bicycles, called Look Up Lebo, and brought active shooter training to over 8,000 students and employees.

For more information about Safe Communities America, please visit safecommunitiesamerica.org.

About the National Safety Council
The National Safety Council (nsc.org) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to eliminate preventable deaths at work, in homes and communities, and on the road through leadership, research, education and advocacy. Founded in 1913 and chartered by Congress, NSC advances this mission by partnering with businesses, government agencies, elected officials and the public in areas where we can make the most impact.

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SOURCE National Safety Council