This document discusses plans to establish a Safety City in the Brazos Valley area of Texas. Safety City would be a miniature town where children can learn important safety lessons in a hands-on way about topics like pedestrian safety, bicycle safety, fire safety, and seat belts. The planning committee has identified key partners to help design and build the facility, but they still need to obtain a site, identify a lead agency, and create a site plan. The goal is to fund the facility through donations, sponsorships, and community support to provide an engaging way for kids to learn safety skills.

1. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service!
in cooperation with!
Texas Department of Transportation
Educational programs of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service are open to all people without regard
to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, genetic information or veteran status.

2. Safety City Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
● Preventable Injury is the leading cause of death for
children 14 and younger.!
● This age group makes up 15% of all fire deaths!
● In Texas in 2012, 14% of all “non-driver” traffic
related deaths were under 14 years of age.
The Problem

3. Safety City Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
The Problem
● Injuries from motor vehicle traffic crashes 2011-2012!
▪ Based on statistics from the TxDOT, injuries to children
14 and younger increased by 39% statewide.!
▪ In those two years, in our 10 county TxDOT district,
the increase was 45%!

4. Safety City Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
What can we do?
● Education in injury prevention will focus on:!
▪ Pedestrian Safety!
▪ Bicycle Safety!
▪ Seat belts!
▪ Fire Safety!
▪ (and other safety topics)

5. Safety City Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
Teaching Safety to Kids
● How do you get kids engaged in learning?!
▪ Make it a “hands on” experience!
▪ Make it “important”!
▪ Make it FUN!
Original College Station Safety City (Timber Street)

6. Safety City Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
The Old College Station Safety City
▪ Making learning about safety into fun.
▪ In the late 1970s, College Station built a Safety City, on Timber Street
near Bush Drive.

7. Safety City Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
What IS a Safety City?
● A “kid-sized” miniature town, with streets, buildings, traffic
signals and signs, crosswalks and bike lanes.
● A place where kids can “put into practice” those things
taught by parents and in classrooms in a SAFE and
SECURE environment.
● A place where public safety personnel and other safety
experts can interact with the kids and help them learn
both the why and how of the safety lessons they’ve been
taught.

8. Safety City Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
Frisco Fire Safety Town

9. The “Brazos Valley” Safety City Project
● Grant through TxDOT to hire a fulltime program
coordinator with the first year goals of:!
● Establishing a planning committee!
● Identify Key Partners!
● Obtain a site!
● Identify a lead agency!
● Create a site plan

10. Establish a Planning Committee
● We have representation from local Law Enforcement,
Fire and EMS, other local government agencies,
service organizations, and private companies.!
● We are adding new members as we find those who
are interested in helping.

11. Identifying Key Partners
● Those people or agencies who have resources or
expertise that they are willing and able to share in
establishing the facility.!
● We already have a number of these partnerships
established.!
● For example, we have TAMU Landscape Architecture
and Building Science Department as well as a local
architecture firm who have promised assistance in
planning and designing the facility.

12. Obtaining A Site
● We are looking for a place that will be both
convenient for getting groups of kids in and out of,
and which will be an “attraction” for our area.!
● We have few suggestions on a site, but no one and no
agency has given us a commitment on the site so far.!
● We are hoping to find 1 to 4 acres, in a central,
accessible location. (Size related to adequate school bus and car
parking, the facility we envision can be on about 1 acre, including
classroom and miniature city, if adequate bus and car parking is
available already nearby.)

13. Identifying a Lead Agency
● The committee has established a list of expected
duties for the lead agency, these include:!
● Serve as “point of contact” during initial fund-raising
and construction.!
● Facility Scheduling and Program Coordination!
● Facility Maintenance!
● Probably will require at least one FTE employee to
manage the operation and ongoing needs.

14. Building the facility
● We plan to fund the facility through donations and
sponsorships.!
● Homebuilders or commercial builders might build a
miniature version of their “style” of construction.!
● Things like buildings, miniature homes, or “streets” could
be “sponsored” by local businesses, naming the street or
putting their business name on a house or building for a
fee, plus annual maintenance costs.!
● Other things that would require more maintenance and/or
replacement, like miniature cars and bicycles could be
sponsored for a fee, or financed through donations or fund-
raising activities.

15. The Future
● It is hoped that with help from volunteers and the lead
agency, that the future costs and expenses for Safety City
could continue to be funded by donations and
sponsorships.!
● Other funding options might include “renting” the
classroom space for evening or weekend meetings, or
even allowing other groups outside of the public schools,
to use the facility for a fee.!
● Several suggestions have been made in the committee
meetings, and at this time, we remain open to alternatives.