BY DAVE OLSEN AND LINDSY INGRAM
At Central Kitsap Fire and Rescue (CKFR) in Washington state, Kids’ Day is a successful public education program that has grown from year to year. From its start in 1986 as a typical fire station open house, it has grown into an annual event that draws thousands. More than 6,000 people attended the 17th Kids’ Day in 2002 and more than 70 different agencies, representing various government agencies, private and nonprofit organizations, and local businesses, participated. Although CKFR is the lead agency, members from all local fire departments are encouraged to take part in planning and supporting the event with staffing and vehicles and in other ways. Local firefighters and fire personnel look forward to this annual event and take pride in demonstrating their apparatus and skills.
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It started with a handful of agencies (e.g., Kitsap County Sheriff’s Department, CenCom 911 Center, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Puget Power, and others) meeting at a local fire station to promote fire and life safety lessons. The groups teamed up to create a fun and educational event. The key goals of Kids’ Day were to
- Create a no-cost event for all ages that teaches fire and life safety skills;
- Provide an opportunity for all local agencies to work together to present their safety messages to the public with little or no expense to the participating agencies;
- Create an event that involves adults and children; and
- Host an event that families look forward to attending annually.
The first Kids’ Day in 1986, held at a fire station, attracted 400 attendees; 20 agencies participated. Over the years, Kids’ Day attendance increased so much that we had to eventually move the event from our local fire station to the Kitsap County Fairgrounds, which provides plenty of space for indoor and outdoor demonstrations and exhibits. Moreover, the new location increased safety by solving traffic and parking problems re-sulting from the program’s increasing popularity.
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We always schedule Kids’ Day for the second Saturday in June from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. This time of year has been the most successful since it occurs near the end of the school year and is usually a good time for warm, dry weather (an important factor here in the Northwest).
INTERACTIVE MESSAGES
To encourage children to learn as many of the safety messages as possible, we developed the “Passport to Safety” (photo 1). Kids get their passports stamped after visiting a booth and learning the safety message provided. The passport also lists demonstration times, exhibitors, and sponsors and provides a site map to make it easy to find all the activities.
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Once participants have obtained nine or more different stamps on their passports, they are entitled to visit the jump house (photo 2), provided by the International Association of Firefighters Local #2819. When they have completed the activities, we encourage the kids to visit the redemption center to receive rewards such as plastic fire hats, badges, coloring books, and cou-pons for merchandise and food.
We ask all agencies participating in Kids’ Day to provide a safety message with a related interactive safety activity, such as life jacket safety, “hunt for hazards,” “use your head, wear a helmet,” “firefighters are your friends,” and “spin the safety wheel.”
In the Safety City exhibit, children go through a model of a town and learn a variety of specific safety lessons: at the hospital building, poison safety; at the fire station, “stop, drop, and roll” and exit drills; at the home, keeping low under smoke; at the police station, when and how to call 9-1-1; at the lake, water safety and using personal flotation devices; and at the campfire, campfire safety (photo 3). The kids have fun while learning the safety messages, and the parents nearby listen and learn too! Children receive plastic bags for all the materials (pencils, stickers, etc.) they receive during their visit to all the displays.
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The “Touch-a-Truck” area displays fire, EMS, and police vehicles; freight, concrete, utility, and tow trucks; and an array of different vehicles. Kids can examine the vehicles up close and find out how they work (photo 4).
Kids’ Day also includes firefighters dem- onstrating such skills as fire extinguishment and auto extrication (photo 5).
SPONSORSHIP
Although hosting such a large event can be expensive, we have found ways to reduce the cost every year. The out-of-pocket expense for our fire district is down to $2,500, and the event’s total cost is approximately $5,500. In the past, it has been as high as $18,000, with a corporate sponsor covering most of this cost.
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We have reduced expenses through corporate sponsors, in-kind sponsors, and charging each participating agency for the actual cost of its booth. A 10- 2 10-foot booth currently costs $25. Each booth has an eight-foot back curtain, two side curtains, an eight-foot table, and two chairs. Participating agencies find the $25 fee very reasonable for the chance to share their messages with and promote their organization to thousands of people. Item sales and funds solicitation are not permitted at booths.
The biggest expense is the building and grounds at the fairgrounds, which Kitsap County donates. Entertainment expenses, such as the puppet program, are the second largest expense and are covered by a sponsor such as Target. Sponsors are promoted and recognized in all advertising, posters, flyers, and local newspapers ads and on the “Passport to Safety.” Kitsap Transit provides a free pass for buses routed to the Kids’ Day site. The only cost to participants is for food and drinks from the event’s concession stand.
PROMOTION
We promote Kid’s Day through reader boards, signboards, posters, flyers, billing inserts, newspaper ads and articles, community access television, press releases, and Web sites. The cost of printing, a large expense, is usually donated or significantly discounted. All of the local newspaper companies are in-kind sponsors and are cooperative about running ads promoting the event and writing feature articles.
Preparation and coordination begin within weeks of the completion of the previously held Kids’ Day. Letters inviting agencies to participate are sent out in February. If an agency wants to participate, it must indicate whether it wants an indoor/outdoor space and the power requirements for its display needs. Potential sponsors are hand delivered a copy of the past year’s flyer, poster, and passport. All sponsors are entitled to a free indoor booth.
Participating agencies say that Kids’ Day is one of the best educational fairs offered and thank us for bringing all the organizations together for one main event. The community is extremely supportive of our Kids’ Day, and residents look forward to it annually.
Photos by Ed Bentley.
DAVE OLSEN is a lieutenant with Central Kitsap (WA) Fire and Rescue, where he has served for more than 21 years. Simultaneously a firefighter and public educator for 13 years, he began Kids’ Day in 1986 and served as coordinator until 1994.
LINDSY INGRAM has served as a public educator with Central Kitsap (WA) Fire and Rescue for the past six years and Kids’ Day coordinator since 1997. She has a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a teaching certificate from the University of Washington.
