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News: Safety Camp

Posted on: July 27, 2017

2017 Safety Camp – 21st Annual Blaine Safety Camp a Success

21st Annual Blaine Safety Camp a Success
Two-day camp focuses on reducing the number of accidental injuries and deaths among children.

Another collection of Blaine soon-to-be fourth graders now possess the knowledge and tools to live safe, healthy lives after the 21st Annual Blaine Safety Camp.

On July 11 and 12, 150 local children gathered at SBM Fire Station 3 for the comprehensive educational program. Organized by the Blaine Police, SBM Fire and Blaine Parks and Recreation departments, Safety Camp is designed to reduce the number of accidents and injuries among young children while providing the skills needed to manage emergency situations. The two-day Safety Camp went precisely as planned, instructing campers on a variety of safety-related topics ranging from first aid to brain injury prevention while mixing in enough fun and excitement to make the experience one the children will never forget!

Camp Counselors

Invaluable to the Safety Camp experience were our counselors who included:

Firefighters
Paramedics
Police Officers
Parks and Recreation Staff

In a fun twist, the professional identity of each counselor was withheld from the kids to set up a surprise reveal at the awards ceremony at the end of camp.

Morning Sessions – Day 1

Safety Camp kicked off with three successive morning programs including:

Electrical Safety: Workers with Connexus Energy displayed the hazards and deadly power of electricity in a shocking electrical safety presentation.
Injury Prevention: Representatives from Mercy and Unity Hospitals hosted an interactive sports injury prevention and first aid presentation.
Fire Safety: SBM Fire Department firefighters showed us how to react in case of a home fire.

Burgers and Dancing

After a hearty McDonalds of Blaine burger lunch and dancing off extra energy to music from a deejay, campers jumped right into four afternoon sessions.

Afternoon Sessions – Day 1

Safety sessions continued in the afternoon with:

Don Bania Jr.: An annual guest at Blaine’s and other Minnesota safety camps, shared his inspiring story. Don is a quadriplegic as a result of a motorcycle accident, who developed his artistic skill by learning to draw with his mouth. He also revealed to campers that he designed and drew the Safety Camp logo on their camp shirts.
Internet Safety: Campers were taught about the dangers associated with talking to people online and sharing personal information.
Bully Prevention: Kids were treated to an interactive and engaging presentation.
Drugs Steal the Magic: Magician Brian Richards entertained children with his energizing and entertaining act.

Morning Sessions – Day 2

The next morning picked up where the previous day left off with:

Animal Safety: An animal expert shared several creatures with campers while discussing animal safety.
Personal Safety: Campers were trained in personal safety, learning about the buddy system, checking first, and listening to your uh-oh feeling.
Bicycle Safety: A bicycle stunt professional used his bicycle and message to inspire students to live out their dreams through determination, goal achievement, drug awareness, peer pressure, and wearing a helmet.
K9 Presentation: Blaine Police Officer Mark Allen and his K9 partner Remy treated campers to a drug sniff and criminal apprehension demonstration. Afterward, children were allowed to meet Remy and give him a pat on the back.

Lunch and Afternoon Sessions Day 2

A pizza lunch energized the campers for a fun afternoon of water safety at Roosevelt Community Pool.
Bicycle Helmet Fitting and Booster Seat Measurement: Upon returning, all campers were measured for booster seats and fitted for bike helmets. One of the goals of Safety Camp this year was to educate parents on the state’s booster seat law, which requires children to sit in booster seats if under specific height and weight guidelines. Bike helmets and instruction on a proper fit have been given to campers at each Safety Camp since the beginning of the program 21 years ago. That totals more than 3,000 bike helmets provided for Blaine children to ensure safe bicycling.

Big Dipper Creamery Ice Cream Social and Awards Ceremony

After the two busy days of safety education, it was time to surprise the campers with the true identity of their counselors and for campers to relax and be rewarded for their dedication to keeping themselves and their families and friends safe. Campers were presented with a medal and certificate proclaiming successful completion of 2017 Blaine Safety Camp at an awards ceremony, emergency vehicle display, and ice cream social at Spring Lake Park High School.

Blaine Safety Services thanks the many employees, volunteers and sponsors for making 2017 Safety Camp an extraordinary success. A special thank you also goes out to all the campers for their enthusiastic participation.

Information about 2018 Safety Camp will be available in the Parks and Recreation Department’s Summer 2018 Recreation Connection next March.