Would you know what to expect when 9-1-1 is dialed and the ambulance arrives? What to do if someone was poisoned? What items to keep in an emergency kit in case of a disaster?
The students at Roberts Creek Elementary School now have the answers to those questions and more following their emergency preparedness day last Friday (Sept. 19).
"They understand how the community would prepare for a disaster event by meeting key organizations and their representatives, to learn how to interpret what is an emergency and how to respond," said Noni Weitz, PAC volunteer and parent.
The first exercise of its kind at a school on the Coast and organized by PAC volunteers with the support of staff and the school board, the day began with Bill Elsner, Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) emergency program co-ordinator, who spoke to the entire school.
"I had parents tell me their kids pestered them all weekend about what they learned, and that's exactly what we wanted," Elsner said.
The emergency preparedness day was the idea of Danise Lofstrom, a parent and member of the PAC. She said each child built their own emergency kit to keep at school that included a photo of their family and letter from mom and dad, a toy like a teddy bear or deck of cards, non-perishable food items and water.
"This is if they had to stay at school and were separated from family, what would make them feel comforted," Weitz said.
Grades 1 to 7 classes participated in a station rotation in the school field, visiting 12 booths. Community representatives included Terasen Gas, a B.C. Ambulance unit, an SCRD lifeguard, Howe Sound Pharmacies, Sunshine Coast Search and Rescue, a Ministry of Children mental health worker, a first aid station, the Salvation Army Community Response Team, BC Hydro and Electricity, Roberts Creek fire department and Sunshine Coast RCMP.
At each station, professionals explained to the students what would happen in an emergency that they would attend and identified equipment used regularly. They taught them how to recognize, respond to and prepare for an emergency and how to prevent one. Lofstrom said another goal was to remove the fear of the unknown so children would not be afraid but feel empowered to call for help and assist if it was safe to do so until adult help arrived.
"A 10 year old they're not a paramedic, but they can do something," Lofstrom said.
