Summer lessons for kids in safety, police work offered in Orland Park
Originally published June 21, 2015
The Orland Fire Protection District will offer its Kids Fire & Life Safety Camp, geared for boys and girls ages 8 to 12, from July 14 to 17.
The district’s public education coordinator, Betsy Dine, provided information about this fun, educational camp, which will be held at the district’s training facility at 10728 W. 163rd Place, Orland Park.
“Camp is made possible by assistance from the Orland Fire Foundation and is dedicated to exposing school-aged children to fire and life safety lessons dealing with potential hazards around homes and schools, plus important life lessons,” Dine said. “Camp is designed to be fun, entertaining and educational; while providing campers with the knowledge to keep themselves out of harm’s way. Participants have daily lectures and lessons, followed by hands-on opportunities to participate in exercises designed to reinforce what they have been taught.”
Dine said Alix McNulty, an injury prevention specialist at Advocate Children’s Hospital, will present new courses: Bicycle Safety, Poison Prevention, and the “Berry” Unsafe House.
Author Nancy Flowers will speak about bullying, and there will be a special presentation on the subject.
“The effects of bullying and being bullied can last a lifetime,” Dine said. “Bullying consists of any action that is used to hurt another child repeatedly and without cause.”
District firefighters will present hands-on first-aid sessions. Campers will learn CPR and how to use an automated external defibrillator. There will be an ambulance show and tell, and campers will make their own first-aid kit and learn about choking.
Bear Paddle Swim School will teach water safety, which needs to be practiced not only outside but in the home. Water, after all, is in bathtubs, toilets and sinks, in addition to the back yard, buckets, swimming pools, ponds, rivers and lakes. Drowning is the leading cause of injury-related death among children ages 1 to 4, according to the fire district’s website, and most commonly occurs in swimming pools.
A representative from K-9 Comfort Dogs, of Lutheran Church Charities, will talk about pet safety. Campers get to pet and hang out with the comfort dogs.
Gordon Bowe, of Operation Lifesaver, will discuss train safety. Pedestrians, especially children who don’t think about hazards, must be aware of the potential dangers involving trains. Operation Lifesaver is working to change people’s behavior around railroad tracks and crossings.
Palos Hospital’s Nutrition and Diabetes Counseling Center will provide information about nutrition and the importance of eating well and staying healthy.
Registration is under way and runs through July 6 or whenever camp is full, according to http://www.orlandfire.org.
For older kids, the Orland Park Police Department is offering a Teen Citizens’ Police Academy. It is a two-day program for village residents ages 15 to 18. The academy runs from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 30 and July 1 at the police department, 15100 Ravinia Ave. Lunch will be provided.
Registration is required, space is limited, and participants must pass background checks. Applications are available by visiting http://www.orland-park.il.us/documentcenter/view/25582 or by calling (708) 364-8149.
Participants will be introduced to a number of the department’s programs and learn about its responsibilities. They will learn about recruiting, training, dispatch, patrol, use of canines, traffic enforcement/DUI, Internet investigations and more. Those who complete the academy will receive certificates.
“We met with DARE officers and school resource officers to come up with a community engagement program for young people,” Orland Park Police Cmdr. John Keating said. “We have other events to showcase our outreach programs and we’ve had a great response to the Citizens’ Police Academy.
“We worked with Sandburg’s school resource officer to create a time frame and a plan for a two-day interactive teen academy. This will help teens learn what we do and show the services that the Orland Park Police Department provides.
“Teens will see that the police aren’t there just for the bad — tragedy, stress or traffic violations. We want to offer positive contact. Many of us are fathers, mothers, aunts and uncles and have teen children. We want to foster better relations, and we need ambassadors.
“Our current campaign is ‘If you see something, say something now.’ We want teens to be comfortable and know that we will take care of them. Short of Mom and Dad, we want kids to feel comfortable coming to us.”
“The teen police academy is a great way for the young people of the community to learn more about the police department,” Orland Park Mayor Dan McLaughlin said. “This is also a good opportunity for those considering law enforcement as a career to get a first-hand look at one of the best police departments in the state of Illinois.”
“We are very excited to offer an academy for teens,” Police Chief Tim McCarthy said. “They’ll get to see the many facets of the departments and learn how public safety is conducted in Orland Park.”
“Any time we can foster a better relationship between our youth and the police, it will go a long way toward avoiding other issues in the future,” McLaughlin said.