Education and instruction is key to keeping safe

By Trish Muntean, Fort Wainwright PAOMay 28, 2010

Fort Wainwright Garrison Safety Week
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Emily Shervey-Dang, 10, and her sister Kaijah Dang, 12, listen to Emily's heart beat May 21 during Safety Day at the post exchange. Safety Day was part of a weeklong, Safety Awareness campaign hosted by the Fort Wainwright Garrison. The fire departme... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Car Seat checks during Fort Wainwright's Safety Week
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Sgt. Wade Tolliver, a Fort Wainwright civilian police officer, checked the car seat of Patience, 18 months, to ensure that it is installed correctly, May 21 during Safety Awareness Week. Patience is the daughter of Amanda and Spc. James Bible, 5th Sq... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

The Garrison Safety Office kicked-off the summer with Safety Awareness Week, May 17 through May 21 at Fort Wainwright. During the week there were classes to teach Soldiers, family members and civilians how to enjoy their favorite summer activity safely. Classes included boating, motorcycle and all-terrain vehicle safety instruction. There were also classes on fire arms safety and an introduction to outdoor life in Alaska. The Directorate of Emergency Services staged a safety display featuring vehicles from both the fire and police departments. Children had the chance to meet firefighters and police officers, while checking out the emergency equipment. Interactive and informational displays were the focus of DES, May 20. "Days like this promote community awareness for lots of different safety topics," said Jason Buist, Fort Wainwright Fire Department. "They say kids are afraid of firemen in a fire when they see them, so it\'s good for the children to see what we look like in our gear," Buist said. "My favorite part of the day is just watching the kids and how they interact with all the equipment we have, watching them have a good time." As part of the Safe Kids program, Sgt. Wade Tolliver, Fort Wainwright Police Department inspected car seats on Friday to ensure they were installed correctly. Tolliver said, "Statistics show that four out five are installed wrong." He also spent time educating the public about the child restraint law that went into effect last fall. "The most important part of safety week is to make people aware of what we have available," said Douglas Harmon, garrison safety office. "Everybody should keep in the back of their mind that safety is important. To enjoy summer to its fullest, "think ahead and think safe," Harmon said.