Safety Day Camp has record attendance in Waukon
Becky Rea of Allamakee County Extension explained the danger of playing inside corn bins. Each Safety Camp attendee was given the chance to pull to see just how many pounds of pressure it would take to save someone caught in a grain bin, to show that very few people are strong enough to actually pull someone free. Submitted photo.
Safe bicycling and signaling was taught by Ashley Christensen of ISU Extension/Regional Safe Routes to School Coordinator. Free bike helmets were even handed out to those attendees who didn’t have one. Submitted photo.
Pictured are members of the Waukon High School FFA Chapter explaining the hazards associated with tractors of all sizes and giving advice on how to stay safe around power take-off units. Submitted photo.
Veterans Memorial Hospital hosted its semi-annual Safety Day Camp Thursday, June 8 at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds in Waukon. This day camp drew a record crowd of 144 children ages seven to 14 from throughout Allamakee and Clayton counties for a day-long session on how to take responsibility for their own safety, respect parents’ safety rules and share safety tips with their family and friends.
According to Jeff Mitchell, EMS Coordinator and coordinator of this event, the camp was a huge success. “All of the children that attended really listened and watched all of the demonstrations and speakers at the event. We told them to remember all of the safety lessons they learned and follow them. We even told them to help teach others the safety rules they learned today, including their parents and siblings,” he said.
The children were divided into 10 different groups and spent 20 minutes at each of the 10 safety stations. These 10 stations and their instructor(s) included:
· Farm Equipment Safety taught by Waukon High School FFA members
· Lawn Mower/Chain Saw/Weed Eater/Pinch Point Safety taught by Chuck Votsmier, Gene Leiran and Loren Mitchell of Veterans Memorial Hospital
· Bicycle Rodeo instructed by Ashley Christensen, ISU Extension, Regional Safe Routes to School Coordinator
· Grain Safety/Tug of War taught by Becky Rea, Allamakee County Extension
· ATV/Motorcycle/Bicycle Safety taught by Chip Lamb of Waukon Power Sports
· Electrical Hazards taught by John Molumby of Allamakee/Clayton Rural Electric Cooperative and Dave Cota of Dave Cota Electric
· First Aid and First Aid Kits instructed by Nicole Schulte of Waterville Fire Department and Cheryl Livingston, EMT-P
· Kitchen and Food Safety/Handwashing instructed by Jill Fleming, Dietitian at Veterans Memorial Hospital and Shelby Bodley, Allamakee County Extension.
· Camping Safety and Survival Skills instructed by Eagle Scout Jacob Dougherty, EMT, Veterans Memorial Hospital
· How to Stay Safe at Home and Hands Only CPR instructed by Corinne Cook, RN, Veterans Memorial Hospital.
The campers were also all called together at three different times during the day for large group demonstrations. The first demonstration involved a dummy getting caught in a power take-off entanglement and another demonstration of a heavy gate and a dual tractor tire falling on a watermelon and what that could mean to a child in that situation.
The second large group demonstration included a gun safety demonstration by the Allamakee County Conservation Board. The third demonstration for large groups was hosted by Decorah Fire on drone safety.
The following local organizations and businesses donated materials, equipment, food, literature or even their employees to help plan and carry out this tremendous safety day camp: Allamakee County Conservation, Allamakee County Dairy Board, Allamakee County Fairboard, Allamakee-Clayton REC, Alliant Energy, Clark Tire Center, Dave Cota Electric, Future Farmers of America (FFA) instructed by Jessica O’Connor, Gary’s Tractor and Repair, Harpers Ferry Fire and Rescue, ISU Extension, Waterville Fire and Rescue, Waukon Police Department, Village Farm and Home, WW Homestead Dairy, Xpressions and the Allamakee EMS Association (Area Ambulance-Postville, Harpers Ferry Ambulance, Harpers Ferry Fire Department, Lansing EMS, Lansing Fire Department, New Albin Fire & Ambulance, Postville Fire Department, Veterans Memorial Hospital Ambulance, Waterville Ambulance, Waterville Fire and Rescue Department, and the Waukon Area Fire Protection District).
“This event is such a large undertaking that we could not have done it without all of the help and support of all of these businesses and organizations,” stated Mike Myers, Administrator at Veterans Memorial Hospital. “The instructors were so helpful and informational. We will certainly continue to offer this beneficial program to the youth in our service area every other year.”
For further information on the Veterans Memorial Hospital Safety Day Camps in Waukon, contact Jeff Mitchell, EMT-P and EMS Coordinator at 563-568-3411.
