Lynchburg program teaches kids to dial 911

Red, blue, blue calls help for you.

The little rhyme, coupled with two stickers, helps to teach kids to call 911 in an emergency even before they know their numbers.

Red Blue Blue is a pilot program created by the Lynchburg Police Department and Lynchburg Fire & EMS designed to teach preschool-aged children how to dial 911 in an emergency.

Officer Beth Bunch, of the Lynchburg Police Department, said she discovered during preschool visits that while some children could say 911, if asked to point it out on the telephone, they couldn’t do it.

“Some kids will say 911, but some will say 991,” Bunch said. “Even though the majority of them could say it, they couldn’t dial it when you hand them a phone.”

Since children learn their colors before their numbers, Bunch and Anthony Andrews, of Lynchburg Fire & EMS, devised a system to use red and blue — the colors of the flashing lights on emergency vehicles — to teach children how to call for help.

The packets that are being handed out to parents include red and blue stickers for the 9 and 1 keys on the phone, a magnet and a card to help children remember, and a brochure to help parents teach children what constitutes an emergency and what they need to know to tell emergency dispatchers.

When Bunch realized the gap in what was being taught to preschool-aged children, she began looking for a program that Lynchburg could adopt.

She didn’t find anything, so her supervisor told her to create something. Bunch thought colors would be a good way to teach children since they learn colors before numbers.

“That’s how she approached me with it ‘Red Blue Blue calls help for you,’” Andrews said. “I thought she was cheering.

“There are some other similar projects, but nothing like this.”

Bunch said they don’t want children to be dependent on the colors alone, so each sticker also has the number printed on it to help children learn it.

One of the concerns in developing the program was whether it would create a large influx of calls to Lynchburg’s Emergency Communications Center, so the packets include tips for parents on how to teach their children what constitutes an emergency.

“The parent has the responsibility to go over it with their child — if something happens to mommy, what do you do?” Andrews said.

That’s why the packets include coloring pages to help parents talk to their children.

Bunch said the packets cost about $1 to produce. Thus far they only have 700 packets available. The packets are provided free of charge through community donations.