There was no shortage of emergency vehicles lined up at the Northwestern Elementary school parking lot on a beautiful Friday in October, ready for the school’s annual safety day.

At 9 a.m., volunteers were poised to welcome youngsters and arm them with valuable information that would be useful for a lifetime.

“We hold our Safety Day each year to provide our students with meaningful experiences that teach them how to stay safe at school, at home, and in the community,” Krista Keys, principal, said.

“The event brings together local community volunteers who share their knowledge and experiences with students,” she continued. “This helps our students to make responsible choices and to know what to do in a variety of everyday situations.”

At the fire safety house, assistant fire chief Erik Pfeifly was ready to provide a unique experience for the youngsters.

“This is a mock house to demonstrate how to be safe around the house, [emphasizing] kitchen and bedroom safety,” he said.

He simulated a possible situation allowing the release of a puff of smoke.

“If a smoke detector goes off, you’ll want to go to the door,” he said. “It’s a good idea to have a safe meeting spot with your family” in the event of an emergency.

“We try to keep it simple,” he continued. “Every grade has something different to do and the kids love it.”

Close by, two emergency medical technicians (EMT’s) waited to show the students the inside of their ambulance.

“We’re going to be sharing what we do with second graders,” Sage Toman, an EMT, said.

“We teach kids what to do in an emergency,” said Amir Siddiqui, an EMT, stressing that “the best thing for a kid to know is to call 911.”

Both wanted to empower the students and demystify what community helpers do when they respond to a call.

“We have a bunch of stethoscopes for them to use,” Toman said. “The kids will listen to each other’s hearts. They really like that.”

Hand-on activities were provided throughout the morning.

Game warden Jake Wieder brought a fur kit for the students to identify the different animals in our area.

“This is my first time out here,” he said. “When I got out of our training two years ago, I transferred up here.”

Planning for safety day begins even before the start of the new school year.

“I work with Jay Scheffler every year to facilitate the community helpers,” Keys said. “He has many contacts with the local fire companies, state police, game warden, and ambulance corps that are incredibly helpful in making this event a success.”

“We work together to ensure all grade levels have three stations to rotate through throughout the morning.”

“We kind of team up,” Germansville‘s Fire Chief Jay Scheffler said. “I have my connections with fire, police, and ambulance [groups] and she gets the school police and farm safety people involved.”

Scheffler calls on community volunteers to assist in delivering the safety message.

“Chico [Donald Christ] would take care of stop, drop and roll,” he explained.

“What I historically handle is fire extinguisher safety with a fire extinguisher simulator,” Scheffler said, “Meeting the kids in the safety house which is divided into two different zones, the kitchen and the bedroom.”

It’s no wonder that safety day is a standout.

“Through careful planning and the support of many dedicated community volunteers, Northwestern Elementary’s Safety Day was a great morning of hands-on learning for students,” Keys said.

“Volunteers helped make the event engaging, allowing students to learn important safety skills through a variety of age-appropriate activities. We are grateful to everyone who gave their time and expertise to make the day possible.”

“It’s fire prevention month,” Scheffler said. “A lot of people have gotten out of it but it’s for prevention. That’s what this is for.”

“The biggest thing is we’re thankful to the school district for allowing us [to] come in,” he added. “The kids have a great day.”

“We want to reduce the loss of life,” Scheffler said. “You rehearse and practice in hopes it will never come to that.”