St. Pete First Responders Volunteer with JWB to Save Babies’ Lives and Mark Infant Safe Sleep Awareness Month

Normally members of St. Petersburg Fire Rescue (SPFR) save lives by serving as first responders to emergency calls, but recently the SPFR administrative team volunteered their time to pack bags filled with items designed to save babies’ lives during sleep.

It only takes one time for a baby to sleep in an unsafe place or position to be deadly. Babies need to be protected from suffocation every time they are laid down to sleep.

It’s all part of Sleep Baby Safely, a campaign created by the Juvenile Welfare Board (JWB) that has cut infant sleep-related deaths in half since it launched in 2018. The goal is to ensure all babies can celebrate their first birthdays.

The Sleep Baby Safely campaign features consistent messaging, data-based facts and tips, and coordinated materials used by all Pinellas County birthing hospitals, doctors’ offices, parent educators, and first responders, such as St. Petersburg Fire Rescue. Learn more at www.SleepBabySafely.com.

JWB and our partners launched Sleep Baby Safely when data revealed that, on average, a healthy baby was dying every month in Pinellas County. Over a 10-year period, Pinellas lost more than 100 babies from suffocation due to unsafe sleep practices – that number represents six empty kindergarten classrooms!

While progress is being made, parents and caregivers must continuously be reminded about the importance of practicing safe sleep for babies, every night and every nap. These messages and the SPFR’s volunteer efforts are especially timely, as October is Infant Safe Sleep Awareness Month.

“Suffocation from unsafe sleep is the No. 1 cause of preventable child death, not just in Pinellas County but across Florida and the U.S.,” stated St. Petersburg Fire Rescue Chief Keith Watts, who is part of the campaign. “Our men and women are usually the first to arrive on the scene. It’s a tragedy that’s 100% preventable, and we’re committed to doing whatever we can to educate and prevent these needless deaths.”

Each year in Pinellas County’s four birthing hospitals, more than 7,000 parents of newborns receive face-to-face education and Welcome Baby Bags filled with life-saving items, including a Sleep Me This Side Up onesie, Alone-Back-Crib sleep sack, and more. The bags are packed by volunteers, like St. Pete Fire Rescue first responders, and filled with items to keep babies safe during sleep in their first year of life.

In 2023, the Florida Department of Health secured funding to expand the locally born Sleep Baby Safely Campaign to eight new counties; today, 19 Florida counties use the Sleep Baby Safely campaign messages and materials.

There are a million ways to raise babies, but only one way to lay them down to sleep safely. JWB urges all parents and caregivers to practice these SAFE SLEEP TIPS to protect babies from suffocation every night and every nap:

• Follow Safe Sleep ABCs: Alone, Back, Crib. Always put babies to sleep alone on their back in an empty crib, bassinet, or Pack ‘n’ Play. Remove all items from crib, such as blankets, pillows, stuffed animals, and bumper pads. Use only a firm mattress and tightly fitting sheet. Use a one-piece sleeper or sleep sack to keep baby warm.
• Share a Room, Not a Bed. Bring crib into parent’s room for baby’s first year; room-sharing keeps baby close without the risks. Never put baby to sleep on soft surfaces like adult beds, couches, futons, recliners, or air mattresses.
• Stay Alert While Feeding. Set an alarm and always return baby to crib after feeding. Breastfeed if possible; it’s best for baby’s protection. Do not smoke or allow others to smoke around baby and avoid misuse of alcohol or drugs.

Learn more and take the safe sleep pledge at www.SleepBabySafely.com.