Story - The Meade County Messenger


Vol. 114, No. ??	Month DAY, 2007

Students learn safety lessons ‘up close and personal’ as part of demonstrations

Photo by Larry See Jr.
Demonstrating the dangers that can come with playing with electricity, Big Rivers Electric instructor Greg Morgan illustrates what happens when electrical dangers are near. Assisting Morgan were Meade County RECC employess Tim Gossett (pictured) and David Pace. The Meade County RECC has been involved with the safety day program since its inception, county 4-H Youth Agent Carole Goodwin said.

By LARRY SEE JR.
Messenger Staff

About 400 students left the Meade County Fairgrounds last week with a little more knowledge about safety.

Students from all county elementary schools participated in the Progressive Ag Safety Day, an annual program which teaches students how to be safe.

This year is the 10th year for the program in Brandenburg, explained county 4-H Youth Agent Carole Goodwin.

Goodwin said Progressive Farmer magazine, which since has been purchased by Time Warner, still continues their sponsorship through an agricultural foundation. The sponsorship includes goody bags for student participants, T-shirts and the cost of liability insurance.

“We have taken it to more of a safety day (instead of a rural safety day) and this year added (a session on) firearms,” Goodwin said. “We only did it for the county 5-th graders, but when they changed to CATS testing to include 4-th graders, we included them in the (safety day) program as well,” she said. “This is the first year we have taken in the 4-th graders.”

Students from David T. Wilson, Battletown and Payneville elementary schools visited the fairgrounds Tuesday, spending time at stations dealing with look-alike products, hosted by Meade County Fire Protection District Chief Larry Naser, to ones on solid waste, coordinated by the Meade County Solid Waste and Recycle Center to a third sponsored by the local American Red Cross chapter.

“We have the fire department, the sheriff’s department and the police department here,” Goodwin said.

Others participating were representatives of the PINS organization, EMS and the Meade County Extension office

On Friday, students from Flaherty, Ekron and Muldraugh elementary schools visited.

“We are hoping the Lifeline helicopter will come and we’re going to set up a mock ATV accident for the kids,” Goodwin said. The mock accident was occurring depending on the helicopter’s availability.

Photo by Larry See Jr.
Student volunteers learn some safety tips from an American Red Cross instructor during last week’s safety day at the county fairgrounds. In addition to the Red Cross, PINS, the fire district and the Meade County EMS were represented.

Students and volunteer instructors give an evaluation of the program, Goodwin said, after which each student receives their goody bag.

“The bags are provided courtesy of the local businesses. Some of them also donate money which goes to support the costs for the volunteer meals. The schools provide the meals for the kids and all of the volutneers also get a T-shirt.”

The electrical demonstration, hosted by the Meade County RECC was one of the most popular during the event.

“We used to do this as a farm safety program, but it has evolved into all types of safety,” Goodwin said. When it was a farm safety program, it was held at an area farm and focused more on tractor and livestock safety.

The Brandenburg event is one of 362 safety days planned this year. The events occur in 35 states, six Canadian provinces, the Virgin Islands and American Samoa.

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