Safety Day Camp goodie bags help children take safety home

Veterans Memorial Hospital hosted its biennial Safety Day Camp Thursday, June 10, drawing a record crowd of 151 children ages seven to 14. The children were divided into 10 different groups and spent 20 minutes at each of the 10 safety stations throughout the day.

The campers each assembled their own first aid kits at the camp, receiving instruction on how to manage a bleed, perform CPR, as well as caring for other types of injuries. In addition, each camper was sent home with a goodie bag following the event, filled with additional safety and first aid supplies for the home, such as safety goggles, ace wraps, tourniquets, ear plugs, sun block and insect repellent.  Most all of these items were provided by grant dollars awarded to the Iowa State University (ISU) Allamakee County Extension Office from Iowa’s Center for Agricultural Safety and Health (I-CASH).

The campers were also called together at four different times during the day for large group demonstrations including a dummy getting caught in a power take-off entanglement, a heavy gate and a dual tractor tire falling on a watermelon and what that could mean to a child in that situation, the Decorah Fire Department Ladder Truck and a special fly-in and tour by the Gundersen Air Med-Link helicopter. In addition, each participant received a t-shirt sponsored by the event’s corporate sponsor, Farmers Business Network, represented by Dawn Burroughs, agent.

For further information on the Veterans Memorial Hospital Safety Day Camps in Waukon, contact Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411.