MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. -- The weather has warmed up and children are ready to go outside, play and explore. With the fun goes increased risk they can become injured or severely hurt if they are not under the supervision of parents or a guardian. It can be easy to take our children's safety for granted, especially living on base. 

Would you intentionally leave a diamond ring out on the sidewalk or in your driveway? Would you allow your new puppy to roam the neighborhood freely without a leash? On any Friday would you give your teenager the car keys, with a full tank of gas and say, "Just be back in time for school on Monday ..." 

It's a parent's number one priority to ensure children are safe and secure, supervised to the proper level with respect to their age and maturity level. The Malmstrom Family Advocacy Program is concerned for the well-being and safety of our children. 

The FAP and base security forces receive phone calls from concerned parents who see children playing on base and in the community without supervision. Often the caller will not have a name or a location for where the child lives. Without this valuable information it makes follow up for base authorities difficult. 

Sometimes people look the other way when they see a child doing something dangerous because they are frightened to get involved or are fearful that parents will not be receptive to a little constructive criticism. We suggest that if you are concerned a child is left unattended and unsafe, please ask the child who they are and where they live. 

Ask where their parents are and if they can give you a phone number, or they can walk you to where their parents are. Taking the time to interact with the child may resolve some concerns for safety and make it easier for you to make contact with their parents if that's whats needed to address the situation. 

Although some children are more mature than others and may be very responsible, when they are out and about on base and in the community, every base has child supervision guidelines as a standard. Malmstrom's are printed in the housing brochure issued to every base housing resident. 

Some of the guidelines are reprinted in this article as a reminder to all parents, and are only enforced on base but are good rules to follow even if you live off-base, since they are very similar to Montana's supervision guidelines. 

Family advocacy helps parents become better parents. They offer classes on subjects relating to parenting, single parenting, parenting through divorce, partner relationship enhancement, divorce recovery, stress management, anger management, child development, being new dads, as well as sibling rivalry. 

Laurie Ekert is a family advocacy nurse who runs the New Parent Support Program; a program that educates and supports parents with newborns up to children age 3. Mrs. Ekert does home visits to support and advise young families with young children.
No one wants to tell you how to raise your children, but the wing commander, is ultimately responsible for providing a safe environment for everyone on Malmstrom.

Youth Supervision Guidelines 
Ages 5 to 6: Outside unattended, but playground or yard must have immediate access with visual sight or hearing distance for adult supervision. 

Ages 7 to 9: Outside unattended, 9-year-olds may walk or ride a bicycle to and from the youth center and they may walk or ride bicycles to and from school only. 

Ages 10 to 11: May be left without a baby-sitter in quarters for no more than four hours with immediate access to an adult's phone number; may play outside unattended; my be left unattended in a car with the keys removed and the handbrake applied; and if 11 years old, may baby-sit younger siblings for no more than two hours. 

Ages 12 to 15: Can be left without a baby-sitter in quarter only during daytime hours, but not after curfew; can baby-sit other children. 

Ages 16 through graduation: May be left alone for short TDYs or leaves, not to exceed five consecutive days, and must have some type of adult supervision available to make periodic checks. 

Base curfew is 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday through Thursday during the school year for youth under age 18; all other times will be midnight to 6 a.m.

Editor's note: AFI 91-207 reminder: 3.5.4. All persons who ride a bicycle, including motor drive bicycles, on an AF installation shall wear a properly fastened and approved (e.g., Consumer Product Safety Commission, American National Standards Institute or Snell Memorial Foundation) bicycle helmet. Workers riding bicycles in areas that require the use of ANSI approved helmets (hard hats) for protection from falling and flying objects are allowed to use those helmets if properly fastened under the chin.