Jefferson students learn real-world skills with emergency services workshop

By Brandi Makuski

Fifth- and sixth-graders at Jefferson Elementary School this week got a special visit from local First Responders as part of students’ physical education class time.

And boy, did they hustle.

“The kids really were very engaged,” said Lt. Shane Westphal from the Stevens Point Fire Department. Westphal was one of several from SPFD operating a modified version of its junior firefighter course that involved racing backward across the length of the school gymnasium and hauling a heavy length of hose.

“It was really neat to see they were comparing their times and having that friendly competition on their [course] times,” he said. “I think they really enjoyed it. and it really encourages healthy living, too, so that’s good.”

Westphal helped organize the event, which physical education teacher Laura Gunderson said began during the 2017-18 school year as something much smaller, thanks to a grant to fund teaching hands-only CPR.

Since then, the event has grown. Today, Gunderson said, students also learn how to identify and respond to an emergency and get help.

“They’re also learning what they can do while they’re waiting for help, so they’re learning some new skills,” she said.

Stevens Point police brought its emotional support dog, Willow, to visit with the kids, and students also worked with officers to learn how to describe their location without knowing its address, just in case they needed to call police from a strange place.

Firefighters also gave students a tour of an SPFD engine and explained how different pieces of equipment stowed on the rig were used during emergencies.

Mike Arnold, a medic with Aspirus, was also on hand to show students how to perform hands-only CPR and demonstrate a LUCAS device.

Dispatchers from the Portage Co. Communications Center also put the students through mock 911 calls.

“We want to make sure they know what it’s like to make a 911 call because that’s a scary thing for anybody, especially a fifth- or sixth-grader,” Gunderson said.

Westphal said the department was happy to participate in the program and would try to find time to do so if asked by other schools.

“We just love working with the kids, and they really do get excited and involved,” he said. “We really enjoyed our time there.”