FAIRFIELD — Cindy Iodice still remembers school assemblies having an effect on her life, from elementary to high school. As an adult, she’s always wanted to give back to the community.
Iodice, who grew up in Fairfield, is now accomplishing this goal with the Flagman K-12 Education Outreach Program, a pilot program in the all 17 public schools in Fairfield with hopes to expand nationwide. The program, which launched April 17 at Fairfield Ludlowe High School, teaches students in kindergarten through 12th grade to slow down and move over when there are first responders or workers on the side of the road, and encourage others to do so.
In 2020, Cindy Iodice’s brother, Corey, a driver and partner for Iodice Family Transport, was hooking up a vehicle to be towed on the Merritt Parkway when he was hit and killed by a Weston man who was drunk driving.
Iodice said she came up for the Flagman program about three months after her brother’s death.
One of the goals is for students to recognize the different people who may be on the side of the road, from transportation employees, to first responders, to construction workers.
“Flagman puts everybody in the same group,” she said.
Iodice said two people working on the side of the road are struck each day in the U.S.
Children in kindergarten through second grade are introduced to roadside work and how to get home safely.
Iodice said their polls show most children in this age group think it’s just police working on the sides of the road, so the program aims to inform them of all first responders who may be there.
Third through fifth graders are taught compassion, sympathy and how to care for first responders in town. They also learn how to talk to their parents while in the car about moving over when there is something on the side of the road.
Sixth through eighth graders learn how to become active passengers and the responsibilities they have while in the car. Iodice said the goal is to teach them how to go from active passenger to responsible driver by the time they start driving.
High schoolers learn that a secondary crash is when a crash happens from an already present accident. They also learn about the slow down, move over law.
With some of the younger students, the activities are interactive, where they will set up a road scenario with student volunteers. Some will be in a car, while the rest yell at the students to “slow down, move over.”
Iodice said they have seen about 60 percent do not know what the law is before the session, but after, they are able to write a sentence about it.
She said it was important to teach the students early on and continue it.
“Kindergarteners will have Flagman for 12 years,” Iodice said.
She mentioned a national movement called Vision Zero whose goal is to eliminate all vehicle-related injuries and deaths by 2050. Part of this is to raise awareness for roadside workers and first responders and distracted driving.
Iodice said people normally disregard roadside work.
Currently, Iodice said her team is working to create liaison positions between first responders and school boards in various towns. The goal is to have a program that any town can implement with their local organizations.
“Our hope is we build it so well that anybody can do it,” she said.
Iodoce said Flagman may expand to Hawaii, Minnesota, the United Kingdom and Canada. In Connecticut, they want to expand to places like Bridgeport, Norwalk and Stamford, among other communities.
“For kids, we want them to be Flagman ambassadors,” she said, adding this gives them more awareness while in the car.
Iodice said they also accept donations, as Flagman is a nonprofit and needs funding to keep growing.
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