Safe Community Alvdal

Name of the Community: Alvdal Municipality
Country: Norway
Number of inhabitants: 2,415
Program started year: 1996
International Safe Communities Network Membership: Designation year: 2001
Info address on www for the Programme: trygglok@online.no

For further information contact:
Arne Dagfinn
Øynes Bellingmo
2560 Alvda, Norwayl
Phone: +47 99 02 68 98
post@oynes-gartneri.no

Elisabeth Hafsten
enhet helse
Alvdal kommune, 2560 Alvdal
Phone: +47 62 48 90 89
Fa: +47 62 48 91 01
elisabeth.hafsten@alvdal.kommune.no

The program covers the following safety promotion activities:

Children 0 – 14 years:

In Alvdal, the midwife, the children’s and the school-nurse are in the field of advising the parents, the children and the teachers in injury-preventing beaviour. In both the kindergartens and the schools there are introduced a program of "Children in activities", aiding the children in how to act in and cooperate with the nature – forest, riverside, hills – including sefety procedures when using open fire.

Different kinds of primitive shelters "gapahuk" and "lavvo" have been put up at convenient places, at least 10 – 15 minutes in walking distance from the kindergarten/school.

Safe school- road: because of the rather heavy traffic through the municipality – main roads crossing through – there have been built separate foot-paths and fences, separating pedestrans and cyclists from other traffic. Great effort is given to teach the children how to behave in traffic, and in showing the convenience of using helmets on bicycle-riding.

Youth 15 – 24 years:

The school-nurse and the police are eager, giving aids about the risks of smoking, drinking and drug consuming. There is also a rather strong effort towards the topics of mobbing and other wellbeing problems.

The link between health – environment – safety is a sentral question in the work of the health- station as well as in all situations where environmental improvements are issued.

Traffic questions are rather heavily focused, together with first aid training through programs run by several voluntary organizations in the local area.

Adults 25-64 years:

As traffic makes so many dangerous situations, and even causes a mass of injuries – even death, this is among the main topics, together with working area and environmental injury preventing education.

Support groups are established for people in personal crisis, e. g. relatives to traffic accidents. The cimney-sweeper is a very useful person in the work for damage and injury prevention program in the homes, e. g. danger of open fire, poisoning, hot water temperature, fall injuries etc. etc.

Elderly 65+ years:

For elderly people the sand sprinkling projekt is very interesting, with a very long winter (snow on the road up to six months a year) the kick-sledge is very useful facility, giving people support against falling, besides it is useful carrying things on. When we sprinkle sand on the ice to avoid slippery situations we must take cautions that the kick-sledge needs the ice, therefore we just sprinkle half the foot path.

Home-based care for elderly people includes injury preventing efforts through a registration program, where the risk situation/tool/circumstance is identified, within ten areas of risks, efforts are suggested, and, if possible, improvements are made, eventually by the "municipality househelp". In this work the municipality homehelp and eventually the home nurse, are very important partisipants.

At the following environments

Home:

See the cimney-sweeper and the home-based care program above. The children’s nurse also give aid at the visits in homes after birth. League of voluntary women have been working to get registered all weapons in the municipality.

Traffic and school:
See the program of the school-nurse, children in activity and safe school-road above. The safe-guard has been built up to handle extreme situations, even extra low temperatures at traffic accidents. Traffic injury registration helps identifying dangerous points of the road.

Occupational:
The registration of work related accidents is made by the local surgery station that makes a detailed list of injuries. This makes the background for preventional effort and the total enterprise is a cooperation between local doctor/nurse, several organisations and the industri work places.

Sports and leisure:
Different ways of focusing on the risks of ignorance towards alcohol/drugs, how to behave in the nature and the importance of learning how to master climate and nature.

Surveillance of injuries: Alvdal Surgery Centre
Numbers per year: 225
Population base: 2415
Started year: 1996

Produced information material, pamphlets: Yes
Download the application report:

Alvdal, Norway- Application to Become a Member of the Safe Community Network

Staff:

Professions: Part time
Permanent: Yes
Organization: Under Alvdal Eductational Health Committee
Specific intersectoral leadership group: Yes
General public health/health promotion group: Yes

International commitments:

Study visits: Several, between others – Harstad.

Participation in Safe Community conferences: Reykjavik, Harstad, Fredrikstad, Hamar.

Hosting Safe Community Conferences: Participating in network conference at Røros 2001 not yet.

Other: The project manager has been visiting several conferences and municipality meetings, giving away experience.