By Emily Williams
The Columbus Dispatch
ASHLEY, Ohio — Fire trucks, ambulances and state trooper vehicles gathered outside a Delaware County camp Wednesday.
But the emergency workers weren’t in any hurry. They were the main attraction of the camp’s annual Safety Day, an event that brings local public safety workers together with the campers at Recreation Unlimited, which serves children and adults with physical or cognitive disabilities or chronic health problems.
Safety Day, now in its 15th year, has been an annual favorite for both campers and staff, said Paul Huttlin, the camp’s executive director and CEO.
For Will Holmes, 13, of Columbus, the best part was taking a look inside a state trooper’s vehicle. Seeing the ambulances, fire trucks and police vehicles was cool, he said, because they’re the ones “coming to the rescue.”
When Katie Godfrey, 13, of Delaware, got to climb up in the fire truck and try on a fireman’s hat, it made her feel powerful, she said.
The camp itself is a sprawling, 195-acre, wheelchair-accessible complex that provides sports, recreational and educational programs to more than 3,200 people every year. It’s equipped with all the camp essentials: a pool, wooded paths, even a lake with a healthy fish population and frequent appearances from a blue heron or two.
Unlike many other camps, though, Recreation Unlimited operates year-round and serves adults as well as children.
Huttlin first contacted Delaware County’s Emergency Management Agency in 2002 about coordinating a safety event for campers. Bob Lavender, emergency operations manager for the Delaware County EMA, signed on right away and, every year since, looks forward to the event.
“It’s never hard to get these guys to come out,” Lavender said, pointing to the emergency vehicles lining the drive near the camp’s entrance. “A lot of times, they call me and say, ‘Have you heard from them about Safety Day yet?’”
The goal of the event is to give kids a chance to interact with emergency response personnel, their vehicles and their equipment in a fun, relaxed way in the hope that, in an emergency situation, the kids feel more comfortable. It also goes hand-in-hand with the county’s special-needs registry, said Sandy Mackey, spokeswoman for Delaware County EMS.
The registry, which started in Liberty Township in 2005 and later expanded to the entire county, allows residents with disabilities or chronic health conditions to disclose special medical needs to emergency workers. That way, in emergency situations, those individuals can receive more personalized care.
Mary Reams, a medic for Delaware County EMS, participated in the very first Safety Day at Recreation Unlimited and has attended most of the events since. It’s a fun day for her, too, to get to see the kids in a non-emergency situation.
“You never want them to be afraid when they see us,” Reams said. “We’re here to help.”
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