Summary: A jam packed day of activities brought home the issue of playing it safe for the members of the Vision of Hope, Ropin Ranchers, and Thunder Valley Pioneers 4-H clubs at a Safety Day held at the fire station in Tuscarawas on Saturday April 9.
It was the theme of the day. You have to be careful because things dont always turn out like they do on TV or the movies. It doesnt always work that way in real life, said Avery Dotson of the Ohio Central Railroad in reply to a comment about how skillful the Dukes of Hazzard television characters were at not stopping for trains at railroad crossings.
Dotsons program – Operation Lifesaver – was part of the second annual Safety Day held at the fire station in Tuscarawas. You never know when might have saved a life, said Dotson of his presentation which reminded the participants of the sometimes dire consequences of ignoring train safety.
Approximately 75 4-H members from Vision of Hope, Ropin Ranchers, and Thunder Valley Pioneers attended the Safety Day at the fire station at the village of Tuscarawas. The morning included six twenty-minute sessions which in addition to Operation Lifesaver included presentations by Smith Ambulance, Cathy Bickford of the Tuscarawas County Sheriffs department, Kathy Adamle of Ohio Independent Search and Rescue, Susie Stein of Newcomerstown Fire and Rescue, and the members of the Tuscarawas Warwick Volunteer Fire Department.
A popular session involved the three dogs from the Ohio Independent K-9 Search and Recovery Unit trained by Adamle. One participant said the dogs were his favorite because they can find stuff and he was particularly impressed that he hid a pencil and Jake, a seven year old golden retriever, was able to find it.
Jake loves kids and loves to be petted. In addition to his search and rescue skills, Jake is also a registered therapy dog. In the biggest assignment of his career, Jake went to Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina to search for missing people said Adamle.
Susie Stein of Newcomerstown Fire and Rescue spoke on the topic of first aide and also helmet safety. So far (after her third group of the morning) one out of every group has had an accident with a four-wheeler, said Stein.
In other sessions, Bickford spoke on bullying and Kent and Kathy Thompson of Smith Ambulance allowed participants to sit in an ambulance while they taught them about how the equipment and supplies in the vehicle are used to help those in distress.
The members of the Tuscarawas Warwick Volunteer Fire Department gave the participants a close up look at the equipment and vehicles they use; even allowing 4-H members a chance to climb into the cab of a fire truck.
It was the mock car accident scene which attracted the most attention. The accident was apparently caused by children acting up, which caused their mother to swerve and hit another vehicle.
The accident scene was loud and confusing due to the need to run a generator on the rescue truck to operate the equipment needed to cut the victims out of the car. The members of the Tuscarawas Warwick Volunteer Fire Department showed their exceptional skill in working together to extract the victims out of the car.
The victims showed off their acting skills, with Vision of Hope Advisor Buffy Booth portraying the distraught mother whose actions and screaming interfered with the rescuers work and spotlighted another situation with which rescuers have to cope.
Kaden Hostetler, 8, a member of the Thunder Valley Pioneers, called the safety day Awesome! He liked the mock vehicle accident demonstration the best, saying the screaming was his favorite part.
Participants also enjoyed lunch at the fire station and received certificates and some small gifts for their attendance.
