Registration begins June 6 for Fire District Kid’s Camp
The Orland Fire Protection District will host the annual Kid’s Fire & Life Safety Camp beginning Tuesday July 12 through Friday July 15 offering programs to educate children between the ages of 8 and 12 on fire and life safety.
The camp is made possible through support from the Orland Fire Foundation and is dedicated to exposing school aged children to fire & Life safety lessons dealing with potential hazards around their homes and schools along with several life lessons that are also important.
Children who live in Orland Park can enroll for free beginning June 1, but they are required to present a report card from their local Orland school. A fee of $30 (Check only, no credit cards) is required for children from outside of Orland Park who can begin signing up June 27 for any remaining spots.
- Grade school kids who participated in the 2015 Orland Fire Protection District's annual Fire & Safety Camp which this year will be held June 12, 2016.
The program accommodates up to 40 children in activities from 8:30 am until 11:30 am each day, with certificates presented on Friday.
Applications can be obtained online at
www.OrlandFire.org and should be returned to the OFPD Headquarters at 9750 W. 151
st Street prior to July 1, 2016.
The camp is designed to be fun, entertaining and educational; while providing the campers with the knowledge to keep themselves out of harm’s way. The participants have lectures and lessons each day, followed by hands on opportunities to actively participate in exercises designed to reinforce what they have been taught.
The Injury Prevention Team at Advocate Children’s Hospital and Advocate’s Injury Prevention Specialist Alix McNulty will present Bicycle Safety, Poison Prevention, Concussion and a distracted driving scenario.
Orland Fire Prevention District firefighters will present hands-on first-aid training and the children will be taught about the basics of CPR, how AED’s work and why they are important, and what to do in response to choking. Firefighters will help the kids make First Aid kits and they will be able to view firsthand emergency response equipment including the Fire District ambulances.
The American Red Cross will present “W.H.A.L.E. Tales” which addresses water safety for the children. Drowning is the leading cause of injury-related death among children ages 1-4 and most commonly occurs in swimming pools. The children will hear about the importance about being around water.
The American Red Cross will also review basic safety practices to the campers.
During the four-morning program, children will also learn how to prepare for tornadoes, floods, medical emergencies, choking, seizures and burns. They will learn the tools to be ready for any disaster that may come their way and help families feel comfortable responding to a sudden emergency! By practicing how to prepare for emergencies and understand that by sharing what they have learned with family and friends, they can help create a prepared community.
Gordon Bowe, from Operation Lifesaver, will be back again to discuss the importance of Train Safety! It has hidden dangers that all pedestrians need to be made aware of, especially children, who don’t think about these hazards. Operation Lifesaver is working to change people's behavior around railroad tracks and crossings.
The program is coordinated by Betsy Dine, OFPD Fire and Life Safety Education Coordinator.
