Bend Police giving away bike helmets to kids

Central Oregon kids are either back in school, or getting ready to go. Some might be riding a bike or scooter to get to class. Bend Police want to remind you your children need to wear helmets — not only because it’s state law, but because they’re a lifesaver.

“Having been in a bad bicycle accident before… uh I can attest that a helmet is very important,” Officer Tom Hietala said Tuesday.

The idea came to Officer Tom Hietala after working in the Portland area. Hillsboro officers give helmets to children at events.

Hietala decided to tweak this idea, to help more families. About 200 helmets have been donated to Bend Police.

Officers will keep new multi-sport and bike helmets in their patrol cars. If they see a child riding without a helmet, that’s when the officer will step-in to help-out.

“The reality is we only get one brain,” said Kim Curley of Commute Options. “So if you damage your brain, it’s really hard to fix it. So wearing protective head gear is really important when you’re biking and rolling.”

Bend Police partnered in the new program with Commute Options and The Center Foundation.

It aims to educate the community; rather than penalize those without helmets. Police say they care more about preventing injury or death than about giving out $25 fines.

“If we see kids riding without helmets or skating without helmets,we can provide them with a helmet, and it’s more of an education piece than uh than a punitive aspect,” Hietala said.

Under state law, children under 16 must wear a helmet if they’re riding on public property. That could be sidewalks, roads and even trails if on public land.

The new program’s target age group is kids 5 to 14 years old.

You can share a helmet, but you need to adjust it.

Here’s a quick lesson: “it’s really important to keep the helmet straps right underneath of your ears, buckle the chinstrap, make sure there’s two fingers of space right here, and two fingers of space between your eyebrows and the bottom of the helmet.” Curley said.

Without adjusting the helmet properly, you might as well not wear it, she said — it’s almost like not having a helmet on at all.

“if we could have a helmet on every kids’ head in Bend, that would be awesome,” Curley said.

Program sponsors also say, the best thing parents can do is lead by example when they go riding.

If your child needs a helmet, you can visit the Bend Police Department headquarters at Highway and 15th Street. An officer may be able to help you with ensuring proper fit, if one is available.