The Northshore Fire Department is participating in the Safe Kids/Safe Rider program.

Safe Kids is a national coalition of injury prevention providers committed to reducing deaths and injuries in children through prevention, education and positive reinforcement of safety practices.

With all that in mind, the Safe Rider program encourages kids to always wear their helmet when riding their bicycles, scooters, skateboards and Rollerblades.

This is how the program works: During the Northshore firefighters’ daily operations, anytime they observe a young person demonstrating safe-rider habits such as wearing a helmet while biking, the young person will be awarded a Safe Rider citation.

The citation includes a commendation from the fire department and a coupon for a free reduced-fat vanilla ice cream cone at a participating McDonald’s.

The McDonald’s located at 7234 N.E. Bothell Way in Kenmore is participating in the Safe Rider program.

The program runs through Dec. 31.