SPECIAL AWARD WORLD BICYCLE DAY OF THE UNITED NATIONS

2021 Special Award World Bicycle Day of the United Nations

Why celebrate the bicycle?

Pictured: President/Captain Jeff Obier, Chairman/Lt. Jason Cusack, Firefighter Ron Prisco, and Program Founder/Retired Firefighter Alan Riggs. Kids pictured are past helmet recipients.

The North Haven Professional Firefighters Association, IAFF Local 2987, has been awarded the United Nations 2021 Special Award of World Bicycling Day for promoting safe cycling for school children. The North Haven Firefighters have been promoting bicycle safety for the last 25 years through their bike helmet safety program. Each year the firefighters visit every first grade class in the public school system and explain the importance of bicycle safety and wearing a helmet while riding. They then host a day at the fire station where each first grader signs a safety pledge and is given a new bicycle helmet. The program began 25 years ago after the firefighters responded to several bicycle accidents involving children who were not wearing helmets. The firefighters saw a need to showcase the importance of wearing a helmet when riding a bicycle and the program was born. Through the years the firefighters have given out more than 2,500 bicycle helmets to children in North Haven. World Bicycling Day was established in 2018 by the United Nations General Assembly by acclamation of all UN state members. This year the Special Award of World Bicycling Day was given to 13 recipients around the world. The North Haven Firefighters award was one of four awards given out in the United States. The 2022 World Bicycling Day will take place next year on June 3. For more information regarding World Bicycling day please visit their website at:

https://www.un.org/en/observances/ bicycle-day

Regular physical activity of moderate intensity – such as walking, cycling, or doing sports – has significant benefits for health. At all ages, the benefits of being physically active outweigh potential harm (through accidents, for example). Some physical activity is better than none. By becoming more active throughout the day in relatively simple ways, people can quite easily achieve the recommended activity levels. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), safe infrastructure for walking and cycling is also a pathway for achieving greater health equity. For the poorest urban sector, who often cannot afford private vehicles, walking and cycling can provide a form of transport while reducing the risk of heart disease, stroke, certain cancers, diabetes, and even death. Accordingly, improved active transport is not only healthy; it is also equitable and cost-effective. Meeting the needs of people who walk and cycle continues to be a critical part of the mobility solution for helping cities de-couple population growth from increased emissions, and to improve air quality and road safety. The COVID-19 pandemic has also led many cities to rethink their transport systems.