Frequently Asked Questions

Where is your crew?

Kidsafe's installers travel with a van full of tools towing a Dingo 425 mini loader.  With this equipment, we have found that one person can do any of the work typically required.  This keeps our costs down and yours too! We often find that hiring a helper at the site works very well.

When you take out this old play system, can the folks at my church come and get it and reinstall it?

We'd really rather not.  Generally we never want to salvage old equipment.  It often has serious compliance issues and we just don't think we should extend their lifetimes.  Plus, it turns a straightforward demo job into a LOT more work we probably didn't charge you for.

I just love that old 12 foot slide. . . Can't we keep it?

No.  No and NO.  My own first cousin died at three years old from a fall from the top of a 40s era slide.  Many of these slides are still around, they were built so well.  What we know now is that falls from heights like that will kill and cause brain injuries, not to mention the broken bones.  I cut these old slides and jungle gyms into pieces for burial.

Can we put 3” of wood chips over our 3” of pea gravel
and be compliant?

No.  These two types of impact absorbing materials work in different ways.  Pea gravel absorbs impacts by the manner in which the pieces of stone are able to move and roll across each other.  Chip absorbs impacts by forming a “mat” of springy material with lots of air in it.  If you mix the two types they cancel each other out and make a surface much harder than either alone.

Will you unload the equipment from the trucks?

Close to home, sure;  otherwise, we'd rather not commit to this.  The timing is too dicey if it's far from home base.  If we do, there's a substantial fee for this service.  The trucking companies are not reliable to deliver on the day they project.  We find all too often we have traveled, say 500 miles, to meet a delivery and their guy is still in Topeka or somewhere and we have a day or two to kill waiting for it.  We don't have a day or two to kill.  Often, something's missing or wasn't included in the shipment and we have to return again after these items have been reshipped.  It's best to hire someone locally to unload your shipments and inventory the contents before we arrive.  We'll explain how to do this and what equipment, if any, you will need to have on hand.

I'm afraid something will be stolen before you can install it.  What can we do?

If you think there is a security threat to items on the ground waiting to be installed, arrange to have a storage container (like the new “PODS”) dropped prior to delivery and unload right into it.  We will use it until the installation is complete keeping everything secure.  It's always a good idea to inform neighborhood law enforcement personnel about your plans and ask them to keep an eye out.  There have been some sites, not a lot, in our traveling where camping on the worksite was not inappropriate.  This is useful as we are often camping as the only economical option.

How can we keep these holes forming under our swings?

Rubber swing mats on top of loose materials usually solves this problem.

Almost never heard questions . . .

What do I need to do to maintain this playground just like you have installed it?

Would you like us to bring you some lunch?