Safe Communities Corner

On July 1, 2025, Iowa officially became the 31st state to ban all hand‑held cellphone use while driving with its landmark Senate File 22 (SF 22). This means no holding, scrolling, typing, dialing, video‑calling, or GPS‑input—unless it’s done through voice-activated, hands-free systems. For the rest of 2025, law enforcement will issue warnings; so far, for the month of July, there have already been more than 1,400 warnings given. Citations and $100 fines begin January 1, 2026, with fines increasing if the act resulted in injury or fatality. Why the push for change? Annually in the U.S., roughly 3,300 deaths and 289,000 injuries result from…

First of all, I'd like to say welcome back. We've had come issues with our site the past couple weeks but we are all restored and ready to keep rolling! Yes, since we are talking about driving this month, that pun was totally intended.Now on to the more serious topic of the week, road rage. We've all seen it...maybe even been the target of it. The driver that pulls up next to a vehicle to make the point that he is visibly upset whether by yelling and pumping his fist or maybe by showing a driver with a single finger…

The 4th of July is synonymous with fireworks. Whether you are the kind of person who is packing up the family for a late night display of pyrotechnics and pretty colors or the person who would rather hunker down in your home and hope that your neighbor hasn’t bought out the nearest seasonal pop-up tent, there is no question that this part of the holiday celebration isn’t going away anytime soon. Unfortunately, neither are the injuries caused by them. Since 2008, the number of emergency room visits due to firework related injuries has increased every year. Between 2023 and 2024…

A  young mother of two small children pauses in her Fort Dodge home as she's preparing lunch for the afternoon. The slight smell of hot plastic raises some concern but, almost as soon as the scent hits her nose, she dismisses it thinking that a small piece of plastic from the packaging must have ended up in the oven. Within just minutes she's rushing her worried children out the door as smoke starts rising to the ceiling. A neighbor calls the fire department after noticing the back porch of the home, just feet away from the kitchen, in flames. Old…

Having a fire extinguisher on hand is one of the best defenses in protecting your home from a significant amount of damage in the event of a fire. If you watched the video we posted last week, you could see just how precious minutes are when it comes to responding to a fire. Having a portable fire extinguisher on hand could mean the difference between a little burn mark on a couch and the total loss of a home. It's estimated that 80% of fire incidents can be handled with the kind of fire extinguisher available to the public. If…

Last week we touched on how to prevent fires in your home and important items to have on hand to alert you to a fire quickly and to contain a small fire. Trying to contain a fire yourself, however, is not always a good idea. We were able to sit down with Fort Dodge Fire Chief Matt Price this week and he stressed the importance of getting out of your home and calling 911 before a fire gets out of hand.Most homes are full of synthetic materials. These materials are particularly concerning should a fire start near them. Click here…

When it comes to fires, you want to "hope for the best, but plan for the worst."  75% of housefires are preventable with some simple steps. To safeguard your home from fires, first and foremost, you want to make sure that you have functioning smoke and carbon monoxide detectors on each floor of the house. Along with regularly checking these devices, check appliance cords to ensure they are in good working order and not overloaded. When cooking it is important to not leave your culinary masterpiece unattended. Make sure that the cooking surfaces are clean and free of clutter, especially…

The idea behind Mental Health Awareness Month is to take away some of the stigma that exists when we talk about mental health. The stigma centers, not just around people with mental health issues and the impact it can have on individuals and communities, but also on being able to admit when help is needed to get through a challenging time in life, one which might have a significant impact on long term mental health.While some of us cannot imagine why someone would have an issue talking to a therapist or licensed professional, there are others who still see it…