Colstrip children have two new safe places to go in an emergency.
Colstrip Police Chief Larry Reinlasoder presented plaques to McGruff Safe House participants Brad Purdon and Donna Tauscher.
Purdon has a home on Appaloosa Drive in Colstrip. Tauscher's home is on Prairie View.
The two homes are the first step in developing a community-wide network of safe houses for children, according to Reinlasoder.
Children may be at risk as they walk to and from school, and younger children may become confused or fearful when confronted with dangerous or otherwise frightening situations, Reinlasoder said.
Chief Reinlasoder described the McGruff House Program as a temporary haven for children who find themselves in frightening or dangerous situations. Children are told that they can go to a specially marked McGruff House, which might be a house, mobile home, townhouse or apartment, any time they sense danger as they go to and from school or are playing in the neighborhood, he said.
McGruff House volunteers will call the police if a child is lost or has a medical emergency, reassure the child if he or she is frightened, and report crimes and suspicious activities.
The McGruff homeowners don't provide first aid except in life-threatening situations. They don't administer medication, supervise the neighborhood or enforce laws, Reinlasoder said.
The Colstrip Police Department, the Pine Butte Elementary School and the PBES Parent-Teacher Organization are partners in the McGruff Safe Home program.
To obtain an application stop by City Hall at 550 Willow Street, or the Colstrip Police Department.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON MGRUFF HOUSES:
-McGruff Safe Homes and Neighborhood Watch
-National Crime Prevention Council's McGruff House Information Page