Ambulance official: ‘Community Safety Surge’ targets youths

The Community Ambulance Company and Northwell Health’s Southside Hospital in Bay Shore will sponsor a “Community Safety Surge” on July 8 in five Islip Town communities to encourage youths on bikes, skateboards and roller blades to wear helmets.

Ambulances and police cars will drive around Bayport, Bohemia, Sayville, West Sayville and Oakdale during an undisclosed two-hour period on that Saturday to see if youths are wearing helmets. If they are they will be handed a voucher for a free Carvel kid ice cream cone, and if not they will receive a certificate for a free bike helmet.

Any children seen around the communities doing a good deed during the Community Safety Surge also will be given the free Carvel vouchers.

Jamie Atkinson, president of the Sayville-based Community Ambulance Company’s board of directors, said participants will include the Suffolk County and MTA police departments, Islip’s Youth Enrichment Services program, and the office of Suffolk County Legis. William Lindsay III (D-Bohemia).

Atkinson said the program, in its second year, promotes safe biking, skateboarding and roller blading and gives children a positive view of police and emergency services personnel.

“It’s to make kids safe and give them a positive interaction with police and EMT workers,” Atkinson said. “We want them to know that they can come up to the police and the ambulance company workers to ask questions.”