Safety first at Safety Day

POLSON —“It’s better to be safe than sorry” was the lesson at this year’s eleventh Annual Safety Day, held in the Walmart parking lot in Polson on Saturday. 

Gathering for the event were members from just about every law enforcement and rescue team in Lake County. Officers gave demonstrations on many safety issues ranging from gun to water safety.

Polson City Police Officer Michelle Scott was in charge of organizing the event and was pleased with how things turned out. It was a good weekend to hold the event as it coincided with “National Safety Week.” 

Scott said “the event is a great way to create cohesiveness among local agencies and to meet new faces,” as  the teams in the Lake County area often need to work together.

 A few of the agencies that participated in the event were:  the Polson Fire Department,  Tribal Police, Lake County Sheriff’s Department, Polson City Police, Highway Patrol (MHP),  New Doves -Domestic Violence organization, DUI- Drug and Task Force, Polson Search and Rescue, Tribal Fish and Game, and Montana Fish and Wildlife.

The event provided a number of demonstrations including how to properly install a child car seat , because  as Officer Scott said, “3 out of 4 car seats are not installed properly.” There was also a “Jaws of Life” demonstration by the Polson Fire Department, where the  firefighters demonstrated how they retrieve a person trapped in a car after an accident. 

Wildlife safety was also stressed at the event. Bear awareness is important in a place like Montana and Warden Mike McElderry of Tribal Fish and Game(TFG) is the man to talk to.  Aside from basic information like keeping trash in a container, he recommended electric fencing as a way to keep bears at a safe distance from humans. TFG sets traps out to catch bears. Once the traps are “rockin’ and rollin’,” a team from the TFG come to release quarry in more rural areas. Warden McElderry also advised against individuals setting their own traps.

MHP paired up with Buckle up Montana to show attendees the importance of wearing a seat belt and how to buckle up properly. MHP Officer Jim Sanderson used the seat belt convincer, a machine designed to simulate the feeling of a low impact car crash to provide visitors with the sensation of being involved in a collision. Seat belt use is the single most effective method a person can use to prevent deaths and injuries.

Over at the Search and Rescue table, Bob Perrine of Polson provided advice on what a person should carry when going on an outing: “bear spray, a whistle or something to signal with, a flashlight and tablets or something to purify water with.” Perrine said that many stores and online sites have emergency kits for sale.  

The DUI, Drug and Task Force team  provided “drunk goggles”  for attendees to attempt to walk a straight line.The goggles were made to simulate the effect of having a blood alcohol level of .16, twice the legal limit to drive. Seven-year-old Aspen Taber had a tough time trying to walk a straight line  and said, “it’s hard!”

 Jill Campbell of the DUI, Drug and Task force said, “our agency provides PBTs to a number of law enforcement agencies, as well as providing cameras for law enforcement vehicles and conducting “shoulder taps,” as a preventative measure to selling alcoholic beverages to individuals underage.

There was a lot to learn at Safety Day — it was an opportunity to build community awareness and to provide information in preventing future accidents and arrests.