MAHONING VALLEY Troopers go to great heights to promote child safety seats

This will be the second billboard excursion for Lt. Brian Girts.
By BOB JACKSON
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- William Thompson doesn't like heights and isn't afraid to admit it.
But next week, he'll climb into a boom truck and be hoisted nearly 40 feet above the ground onto a billboard, where he'll stay for at least 12 hours.
Thompson is a lieutenant with the Ohio State Highway Patrol and is commander of its Warren post. His colleague, Lt. Brian Girts of the Canfield patrol post, challenged him to join the billboard brigade.
"Brian gave me the double- and triple-dog dare," said Thompson, laughing. "I'm not necessarily an advocate of heights, but I'll push through and do this. It's for a good cause."
The post commanders are pictured on identical billboards to promote awareness about use of children's car safety seats. One is along U.S. Route 224 in Boardman Township, just west of the Poland village limits. The other is in Niles, along U.S. Route 422 near the Trumbull County AAA office.
Their pledge: Girts and Thompson have pledged to climb onto a catwalk along the bottom of the billboards on Dec. 14 and stay there for at least 12 hours. Girts will be in Boardman and Thompson will be in Niles.
They'll get on the billboards at 6 a.m. and stay until they've reached their goal. If they meet the goal early, they'll still stay until at least 6 p.m., they said.
They're hoping to raise money for the Mahoning Valley Safe Kids Coalition, which will buy car seats to be distributed to people who cannot afford them.
Girts pulled a similar stunt on the same billboard two years ago. That one featured a picture of five patrol troopers, including himself, who were all from Poland.
His goal that time was $4,120, which would have been enough to buy 103 car safety seats. The response from passers-by was overwhelming, and more than $11,000 was raised. Those car seats have all been distributed, so it's time to raise money for more, Girts said.
"Little kids showed up with jars full of pennies. Everybody wanted to help out," said Lark Dickstein, a certified child passenger safety technician for Forum Health.
This year's goal: This time, the goal is for Girts and Thompson to each bring in enough to buy 103 seats. They chose that number because radio station Y-103 is helping promote the event.
For their safety, the catwalks in front of the signs will be widened and each man will wear a safety harness attached to a tether, in case they fall.
Both said mild weather would be nice, and that cold weather will be tolerable.
"I just hope it doesn't rain," Girts said. "Once you get wet, you just can't get warm."
It rained during his stint on the billboard two years ago.
Donia Foster, Safe Kids Coalition coordinator, said people can donate by calling the Safe Kids office before the event, or by stopping at either of the billboard sites that day.
bjackson@vindy.com