MISSOULA — Safety first met safety fest at the annual Safe Kids Fair in Missoula on Sunday. The event brought safety-themed education and fun for the whole family.
“There's lots of big rigs, buses and trucks that kids can go around and explore and learn all the safety aspects of each location,” Organizer Brenda Plascencia said. “It's fun for everyone and there's lots of freebies out here too, so that just makes learning about safety and health just more fun and engaging.”
Safe Kids Missoula Coalition puts the fair on every year, bringing together safety experts and the community members they protect. There were first responders, healthcare providers, educators and more sharing all about safety.
“Safe Kids Missoula, our main point of being here is to focus on unintentional injury and spreading that education to all the parents, caregivers, that have kiddos at home,” Plascencia said. “Unintentional injuries can vary from drowning prevention, back over prevention, poison prevention. There's a large variety of risk areas that we focus on and so we're bringing the community together here today to share their resources with everyone.”
The fair ran from noon to 3 p.m. at Allegiance Field at Ogren Park in Missoula. Each booth featured its own specific safety activity. There were dozens of activities, including bingo, twitter, CPR training and trips onto buses and firetrucks. There was even a free immunization clinic from Missoula Public Health.
“It's not only handing out their resources. We've got the cards, the tip sheets, the flyers where it can be like ‘OK, this I can do this and that’ but, at the same time while the parents are learning about the resources available for them, the kids are also having fun and being engaged in an activity,” Plascencia said.
Between raffle prizes, safety resources and new experiences, Plascencia said the fair has something from everyone.
“I hope they take away lots of free stuff and just knowledge that resources are out there for them in this community. A lot of the times being a parent can be isolating and overwhelming, maybe with a newborn or as a child grows. ‘What car seat do they need to be in? What additional steps do I need to take to keep them safe, say when they're like crawling to walking?’” she said. “Just knowing that there are resources out here to help them, it can be a big lift off their shoulders. I hope that they go away with a lot of good information, lots of education.”
