VMH hosts successful Safety Day Camp

Veterans Memorial Hospital hosted its semi-annual Safety Day Camp Thursday, June 11 at the Allamakee Fairgrounds in Waukon. This day camp drew a large crowd of 125 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 at Veterans Memorials Hospital 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.”
The children were divided into 10 different groups and spent twenty minutes at each of the ten safety stations. These ten stations and their instructor(s) included:
• Farm Equipment Safety taught by Waukon High School FFA members
• Lawn Mower, Chain Saw, Weed Eater and Pinch Point Safety taught by Chuck Votsmier and Loren Mitchell of Veterans Memorial Hospital
• Bicycle Rodeo and Blender Bike instructed by Ashley Christensen, ISU Extension
• Large and Small Animal Safety instructed by Waukon High School FFA members
• Internet and Social Media Safety instructed by Jeni Kolsrud, I.T. Director at Veterans Memorial Hospital, Elizabeth Hoins, Intern, Veterans Memorial Hospital, and Katelyn and Emily Kolsrud
• Grain Safety Tug of War taught by Becky Rea, Allamakee County Extension
• ATV, Motorcycle, Bicycle Safety taught by Ben Rausch of Waukon Power Sports
• Electrical Hazards taught by John Molumby, 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 Shari Dehli, L.P.N.
The campers were also all called together at two 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 following local organizations and businesses donated materials, equipment, food, literature or even their employees to help plan and carry out this Safety Day camp: Allamakee County Conservation, Allamakee County Dairy Board, Allamakee County Fair Board, 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 and Ambulance, Postville Fire Department, Veterans Memorial Hospital Ambulance, Waterville Ambulance, Waterville Fire and Rescue Department, and the Waukon Pioneer Fire Department).
“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,” said 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, EMS Coordinator at 563-568-3411.