Page 6 - MAR 2019 proof 7 - The Castle Pines Connection
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L6ife skills to save lives By Patte Smith, photos courtesy of South Metro Safety Foundation
CastlePinesConnection.com
SAFETY AND AWARENESS CLASSES o ered by SMSF
• CPR/AED & First Aid
• Super Babysi ng
• Youth Safety Skills
• Crash Avoidance Teen Classes
• Driver Awareness Program which is cer  ed through State of Colorado for teens applying for Learner’s Permit
• License to Survive, a teen and parent seminar for new teen drivers.
• Driving Skills for Adults and Seniors
• Child Passenger Seat Program
• Kids and Teen Fire Academy
Education is not all about reading, writing and math or studying hard to prepare for college or a career, although those are very important. Learning is also about practical day-to-day knowledge and life skills
with its own rewards. Safety awareness and accident prevention many times are overlooked until it is too late. Well, it is not too late for our community to realize that right in our own backyard we have some
of the best trainers ready to help children, teens and adults learn safety skills and awareness.
The South Metro Safety Foundation (SMSF) and South Metro Fire Rescue (SMFR) play an immense role in safety education for residents throughout the Douglas County community. The SMSF is the nonpro t partner of SMFR.
According to SMSF Executive Director Brenda Poage, the SMSF and SMFR community services divisions work together to educate citizens and businesses in emergency medical care and injury
and accident prevention. “Learning
safety skills, whether taking a teen crash avoidance class or learning CPR, our community becomes an integral part of the lifesaving system.”
The SMSF has come a long way since
its beginning in 1983. Adam Miller, a dairy farmer from Elizabeth and his wife Dorothy, a school teacher from Lakewood, donated a portion of their estate in their will to the Parker Fire Protection District. Dedicated to using these funds to create
a safer community through prevention education was and still is the goal. As
the years went by, eventually Parker Fire and South Metro Fire joined forces and became South Metro Fire Rescue and with SMSF continued to o er community safety programs for the entire district area.
“While several safety education classes are o ered by SMSF,” explained Poage, “we do o er programs in partnership with SMFR. The car seat inspection program is
Classes for CPR/AED and  rst aid to help adults, children and infants in an emergency are o ered by the South Metro Safety Foundation.
o ered six times each month at various  re stations in the district. Over the summer, both organizations collaborate on the Kids and Teen Fire Academies.”
“We have been o ering community safety classes since 1991, and our most popular programs are those for kids including babysitting, youth safety skills and teen crash avoidance classes,” Poage said.
SMFR’s Community Risk Reduction group develops programs for the public after
they examine certain neighborhoods that are at risk. They also design presentations speci cally tailored for children to learn safety based on Douglas County’s local data and national trends. Classes are customized in this way and are not generic.
SMFR teaches third-graders about home escape plans using information that they are currently learning in school and use visual cues that help the kids retain what they learn.
“One of our programs, home  re safety, is o ered to residents who speak English as a second language,” explained Einar Jensen, risk reduction specialist for SMFR. “From programs for older adults, businesses and classes for students from grades K – 12, we have many to choose from.”
For a list of presentations o ered by SMFR, email ReducingRisk@southmetro. org. For information about registering for classes o ered by SMSF, visit www. southmetrofoundation.org/.
Driving awareness is important for anyone who drives a vehicle. All kinds of weather conditions exist in Colorado and drivers young and old need to know how to handle these situations.


































































































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