By RAY HAMMOND
Children at Wymount Terrace were treated Saturday afternoon to a safety fair Saturday afternoon sponsored by the University Police.
Representatives from organizations on and off-campus were available at the Wymount softball field to show the children the do’s and don’ts of staying safe.
Paramedics from the Provo Fire Department reviewed the safety procedure with the children for escaping fire at home. The fire department came equipped with an RV labeled with the words “Learn Not To Burn” on the side. Paramedics showed participants how to avoid fire hazards in a model kitchen. They also demonstrated how to escape fire from the bedroom.
The children were able to participate in a fire drill complete with synthetic smoke to make the experience more life-like.
A non-toxic gas whose properties are similar to real smoke was used in the fire drill. As the harmless smoke permeated the model bedroom, children were able to escape the window and descend a ladder on the rear of the RV.
The dramatic demonstration was captivating to those in attendance.
“Our fire detectors smell poisonous gas,” said one boy in response to one of Bailey’s questions.
Although the demonstration is geared towards children, adults learned what to teach their children about fire safety by taking part, Bailey said.
Both the Air Force and Army ROTC sent representatives to help out in the event. Air Force representatives handprinted the kids while Army ROTC representatives ran a bicycle safety course.
There were many hands-on experiences for the children at the fair.
University Police brought a vehicle complete with loudspeaker so children could play police.
“Drop the gun!,” shouted Jared Davis over the speaker to his mother.
The Davises live in northeast Provo and decided to attend when a friend informed them about the fair.
According to Rick Moreno, of the University Police, the safety fair was in conjunction with the Wymount neighborhood watch program that kicked off in early September. Since the program’s inception, one call from an alert resident resulted in the apprehension of a burglar attempting to steal a bicycle from Wymount.
This year’s fair was the first of its scope at Wymount. Garry Briggs, Wymount manager, plans on subsequent fairs in the years to come.
“Just seeing how they’ve responded, this is something we will do annually,” Briggs said.
