Some area children have been learning how to stay safe this summer. For more than fifty years, children have been attending classes at Friendly Town, located in Danville’s Lincoln Park.
Danville Police Officer Josh Long explains what it is…
{AUDIO: ‘’It is a safety course. We talk about all kinds of different safety. I cover anything from traffic safety to fire safety. We talk a little bit about bullying (and) stranger danger. And then we also get to go out back on the road course here and do some driving on some of the electric cars we have.’’}
(A tarp covers the classroom roof where a tree fell on it during the June 29th storm. Repairs are yet to be completed.)
Classes were canceled for two weeks this summer because of the severe storm which hit June 29th, downing numerous trees in the park. In fact, one of the trees fell on the building housing the classroom as Officer Long and his students huddled in a bathroom. They managed to escape the storm safely but some buildings still need repairs. And other buildings at the traffic safety education center are showing their age.
On Friday, part of the class focused on calling 9-1-1….
{AUDIO: ‘’Each day, starting on Monday when they come in, I work on them with their name, address, and telephone number. Because those are three things the 9-1-1 operator is going to ask them when they call, when they want to know where their emergency is at. And if they can just say ‘my home’ – that really doesn’t do a whole lot of good for the 9-1-1 operator. So we work on our address, and by the end of the week, most kids can tell me their address without having to look at their paper.’’}
During another part of the class the topic was bullying. Long was asked what he hopes the children learn about bullying…
{AUDIO: ‘’Well, the main thing is to teach them not to be a bully. And also the other main thing I like to get across to them is – if they see one of their friends being bullied, or not even a friend, if they see somebody else at school being bullied – what they need to do to stop it.’’}
(Officer Long shows the kids how to call 9-1-1 on a cell phone even if the phone has a pass code.)
For those who have maybe never seen Friendly Town, Officer Long described it….
{AUDIO: ‘’In Lincoln Park over here where it’s located, obviously we have a classroom here as soon as you pull into the park. And then on the back side that’s fenced in there are numerous buildings out there. We have a police station. We have a fire station. I have working traffic lights. I have a railroad crossing that will flash red lights for the kids to pay attention to stop. And that is another thing we talk about a little bit is railroad safety. So it’s like a miniature city out there for them to drive around in.’’}
Of course, the favorite part of the class seems to be when the kids get to drive small electric cars through the miniature town…
{AUDIO: ‘’On Mondays, when we first come in, I always tell them we don’t drive on Mondays because we’re really busy just getting to know everybody. I have the fire department come out on Monday morning. And then Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, I try to spend a lot of time driving with them outside. So we usually spend about forty-five minutes to an hour each day Tuesday through Friday just driving, and the kids thoroughly enjoy getting on the cars.’’}
During part of the class Officer Long told the kids when they should not call 9-1-1. ‘’Don’t call to find out what time the Barbie movie starts,’’ said Long, ‘’and don’t call for directions.’’ He also showed the students how to get past someone’s cell phone password if they need to use their phone to call 9-1-1.
And parents may want to be careful about what they are showing their kids. During the discussion about stop lights, when Officer Long said a yellow light does not mean you speed up, one of the young students replied, ‘’My dad speeds up!’’
