Event teaches safety
Posted on Sunday, September 7, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/bcdr/News/65506/
BELLA VISTA — Educating Bella Vista residents about what to do in an emergency was the idea behind the second annual Safety Day held at Riordan Hall Saturday.
The day was designed to show residents “ what procedures and personnel Bella Vista has in place” in the event of an emergency, such as a weather disaster, said Ed Jenner, who is a member of Bella Vista’s Emergency Management Committee and the event’s primary coordinator.
“ This year’s event was much better than last year despite the rain, ” Jenner said. A brief but intense thunderstorm hit about an hour after the event began, but by midway through the event the skies were sunny. The storm forced coordinators to remove the inflatables and cancel the puppet show but otherwise everything went on as planned, including a visit from the Med Evac helicopter. The events also included a demonstration from Carroll Electric about what happens when a power line is knocked down, and a fire safety demonstration for children.
The Bella Vista Animal Shelter was also on hand to share information about caring for pets in a disaster or other emergency situation. Participants could receive a “ pocket vet”, which is a short guide to first aid for animals. They could also receive a sticker that is to be placed in the window near a home’s front or back door that tells emergency personnel how many of each kind of pets are inside the home.
“ That’s so they can rescue them also, ” said Deidre Knight, executive director of the shelter. “ Pet safety is also important, it’s not just about the humans. ”
Representatives from the Homeland Security-Department of Emergency Management of Benton County were also on hand to provide information and tours of the agency’s mobile command unit.
“ It helps to educate people and let them know what we do, ” said Mike Dixon, DEM deputy director.
Jennifer Scott visited event with her husband and two daughters. The family moved here nearly two months ago from Missouri and they wanted to get familiar with the community, she said. Her young daughters enjoyed the fire safety demonstrations and as a parent, she was glad the girls were able to learn the information. By getting the chance to meet fire department personnel when there wasn’t an emergency, her daughters got the chance to see that firemen are not scary, Scott agreed. Sometimes children become scared of firefighters who come in their home during a fire because of their protective gear and the intensity of the situation.