In celebration of National Emergency Medical Services Week, the Jefferson Fire Department held an open house with activities and information about child safety on May 16 at the Jefferson Fire Station.
About 100 people attended the event, which was conceived as a chance to honor EMS volunteers for the hard work they do all year round, said Jefferson Fire Chief Walter Morris.
“It was great to see all the children and families out having some fun and learning about safety at the same time,” Morris said. “A great time was had by all, and we intend to do more events like this in the future.”
Child safety day featured information on poison control, fire escape plans, and water safety, and taught kids to “stop, drop and roll.”
The biggest hit was a Warden’s Service demonstration of how their search and rescue dogs pick up scents and track down lost children in the woods, Morris said.
There was also a great response to a child identification program held at the event. Twenty-two children were put in a database with pictures, descriptions and fingerprints, so that if they get lost, rescuers have descriptions on file, Morris said.
The fire department will likely reprise that child identification program at future events, such as the open house the department will host in the fall, Morris said.
Jill Huber, Jefferson EMS director, “really deserves all the credit for the success” of the event, Morris said. Morris also thanked Jefferson Village School Principal Peter Gallace for his efforts promoting the event.