Safety and Consumer Protection Tips

For All Adults

• Battering Intervention Program(PDF, 132KB)
  Do you feel unsafe in your intimate-partner relationship? Do your words and actions cause your intimate partner to feel unsafe? Help is available.
• Dating Abuse: Talking to Your Teen(PDF, 41KB) | Español(PDF, 43KB)
  Find resources to help you talk with your teen about dating safety.
• Domestic Violence(PDF, 104KB)
  There are places to go where you can be safe if you need to leave because of violence in your home.
• Home Repair and Safety
  Find ways you may be able to get help to repair your home or to install equipment to keep you safe in your home.
• How to Prevent a Death Due to Opioid Overdose
  Find information about how to avoid and prepare for an opioid overdose and how to respond if an overdose occurs.
• Street Violence(PDF, 268KB)
  There are organizations that teach about street violence, provide support to individuals and the community when violence occurs and that host activities to keep violence from happening.
• Rape, Sex Trafficking, Sexual Assault(PDF, 244KB)
  There are safe places where help is there for the asking.

For LGBTQ Support

• Transgender Suicide Hotline
  Your life matters. Please call 1-877-565-8860 to make sense of your feelings.
• The Family Acceptance Project
  Gives families ideas about how to decrease rejection and increase support for their LGBTQ children.
• LGBTQ Resource Guide(XLSX, 45KB)
  There are resources and organizations to support persons who identify as LGBTQ.

Preparedness

• Allegheny County Emergency Preparedness
• Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA)

Medical

• Medical Information Form(PDF, 56KB)

Extreme Weather

• Extreme cold and winter storms
  Learn how to plan ahead to make it safely through severe winter weather.
• Extreme heat
  Learn how to plan ahead to make it safely through a heat wave.

Home Safety

• Fires(PDF, 226KB)
  House fires can spread quickly and take the possessions and lives of residents in a matter of minutes. Learn how to prevent fires and plan for recovery after a fire.
• Gun Safety - A Monster in the Closet is the Least of Your Concerns | Español

Videos

• Summer Safety
• The Basics
• Safe at Play
• Water Safety
• Car Safety 
• Sun Safety
• Chemical and Poison Safety
• Campfires, Grills and Fireworks
• Open Windows & Latched Doors
• Bug Bites & Stings
• Safety on Wheels
• Keeping Medicines Away from Children
• Soothing a Crying Baby

All Children

• 24-hour child protective services
  If you suspect that a child under the age of 18 years is being abused or is a victim of neglect please report your concerns by calling ChildLine at 1-800-932-0313 or the CYF Intake Office at 412-473-2000.
• Intervening to defuse a stressful child-parent situation(PDF, 613KB)
  Find ideas about how to intervene in some common stressful child-parent situations.
• ASK (Asking Saves Kids)
  A simple question can save the life of your child or your child's friend.
• Child Safety in the Home(PDF, 889KB)
  Find tips for preventing the injury and even death of children in your home from such common hazards as poisons, water, falls and weapons.
• Choose Your Partner/Caregiver Carefully(PDF, 756KB)
  Find ideas about things to consider before leaving your child in another's care.
• Gun Safety - A Monster in the Closet is the Least of Your Concerns | Español 
• Helping children cope(PDF, 694KB)
  Find out what you can do to help children cope with violence and disasters.
• How to Prevent a Death Due to Opioid Overdose
  Find information about how to avoid and prepare for an opioid overdose and how to respond if an overdose occurs.
• Ingestible items(PDF, 120KB)
  Find out what hazards are related to drugs - legal and illegal - and common household products if ingested by children.
• Summer Safety(PDF, 1MB) | Español(PDF, 683KB)
  When fun in the sun brings you and your family outdoors, make sure you stay safe by following some easy tips.
• Water Safety(PDF, 1MB)
  Refresh your memory about ways to keep children safe when in or around water.

Infants and Toddlers

• Safe Haven
  You are allowed to leave your newborn (up to 28 days old) at any Pennsylvania hospital, in the care of hospital staff. As long as the baby has not been harmed or a victim of a crime, no questions will be asked.
• Safe sleep for infants(PDF, 549KB)
  Find the best ways to ensure an infant's safe sleep to reduce the chance of death associated with unsafe sleep practices.
• Soothing a crying baby(PDF, 2MB)
  Babies cry. Find ideas to help you soothe your crying baby. Remember, NEVER to shake an infant. Shaking an infant can cause permanent brain damage and even death.

Youth

• Anti-luring(PDF, 322KB)
  You and your child can prepare and know how to stay safe in your neighborhood.
• Anti-stigma
  Stand Together is an initiative that inspires and equips youth to take action against stigma associated with mental illness and substance use disorders by engaging area middle and high school students with anti-stigma training and service-learning experiences.
• Stop Bullying Now!
  You and your child will find helpful ideas about how to "take a stand and lend a hand" to stop bullying.
• Kids fire safety
  Find simple steps that can prevent fires and protect children.
• Home alone safety(PDF, 599KB)
  Find information to help you decide if it's safe to leave your child home alone.
• On-line safety
  Learn how to keep your child safe during on-line time.

Young adults

• Anti-stigma
  Stand Together is an initiative that inspires and equips youth to take action against stigma associated with mental illness and substance use disorders by engaging area middle and high school students with anti-stigma training and service-learning experiences.
• Battering Intervention Program(PDF, 132KB)
  Do you feel unsafe in your intimate-partner relationship? Do your words and actions cause your intimate partner to feel unsafe? Help is available.
• Dating Abuse: Talking to Your Teen(PDF, 41KB) | Español(PDF, 43KB)
  Find resources to help you talk with your teen about dating safety.
• Domestic Violence(PDF, 104KB)
  There are places to go where you can be safe if you need to leave because of violence in your home.
• Street Violence(PDF, 268KB)
  There are organizations that teach about street violence, provide support to individuals and the community when violence occurs and that host activities to keep violence from happening.
• Rape, Sex Trafficking, Sexual Assault(PDF, 244KB)
  There are safe places where help is there for the asking.

LGBTQ support

• Transgender Suicide Hotline
  Your life matters. Please call 1-877-565-8860 to make sense of your feelings.
• Battering Intervention Program(PDF, 132KB)
  Do you feel unsafe in your intimate-partner relationship? Do your words and actions cause your intimate partner to feel unsafe? Help is available.
• The Family Acceptance Project
  The Family Acceptance Project gives families ideas about how to decrease rejection and increase support for their LGBTQ children.
• LGBTQ Resource Guide(XLSX, 45KB)
  There are resources and organizations to support persons who identify as LGBTQ.

• Older Adult Protective Services
  If you suspect that an adult over the age of 60 years is being abused or is a victim of neglect please report your concerns by calling 412-350-6905, 1-800-344-4319 or 1-800-490-8505.
• How to Prevent a Death Due to Opioid Overdose
  Find information about how to avoid and prepare for an opioid overdose and how to respond if an overdose occurs.
• Transgender Suicide Hotline
  Your life matters. Please call 1-877-565-8860 to make sense of your feelings.
• Carrier Alert(PDF, 935KB)
  If your mail accumulates in your mailbox, possibly an indication that there is reason for concern within your home, the appropriate service agency will be alerted by your USPS mail carrier.
• A Consumer Reference Guide for Seniors - How to Avoid Scams and Fraud(PDF, 2MB)
  The guide can help you identify predatory behavior before you fall victim to it.
• Disaster Preparedness for Seniors by Seniors(PDF, 2MB)
  This booklet provides practical and straight-forward suggestions for you and your loved ones to prepare ahead for unexpected emergencies. Published by the Red Cross.

• Adult Protective Services
  If you suspect that an adult with a disability, between the ages of 18 and 59 years, is being abused or is a victim of neglect please report your concerns by calling 1-800-490-8505.
• Batterers Intervention Program(PDF, 132KB)
  Do you feel unsafe in your intimate-partner relationship? Do your words and actions cause your intimate partner to feel unsafe? Help is available.
• How to Prevent a Death Due to Opioid Overdose
  Find information about how to avoid and prepare for an opioid overdose and how to respond if an overdose occurs.
• Special Needs Registry
  If you have a physical, mental health or intellectual disability, you may voluntarily provide information to the Allegheny County Department of Emergency Services via the online Special Needs Registry. The information may then be shared with those responding to a police, fire or medical emergency at your home.

• Duquesne Light warns of telephone scam demanding payment.
  Duquesne Light does NOT request payment over the phone. Please take a moment to report suspicious calls to their customer service center at 1-888-393-7100.
• Fraud Center
  Operated by the National Consumers League, this site provides information about common scams and how to avoid falling victim to them.
• IRS consumer alert
  There are always scams related to the IRS that scare vulnerable people into paying money to avert arrest, deportation or other meaningful threats. Do not be deceived. The IRS will never use the phone, email, text message or social media to threaten you with immediate harm, or demand your personal information or immediate payment using gift cards or wire transfers. Any valid IRS requests come by mail first and may be appealed.