| March 21, 2005
Marquette County
Camp 911 scheduled for May 14-15
The
West Branch Community Center will soon be transformed into an
American Red Cross disaster shelter as local
Marquette County emergency agencies join forces to host the Sixth
Annual Marquette County Camp 911 program.
Officer Mike Kohler of the Marquette City
Police Department provides instruction on emergency rescue breathing
during last year’s Marquette County Camp
911 program held at the YMCA South Facility. The MCPD was one of a number
of emergency agencies that participated in the Camp 911 program in 2004.
Camp 911 2005 is scheduled for the weekend of May 14-15.
Camp 911, scheduled for the weekend of May 14-15, will provide
area sixth-grade students with a wide array of information,
from injury and fire prevention,
to hands-on first aid training. Teaming up for this program will be staff
from a number of Marquette County EMS agencies and fire
departments, law enforcement
agencies, hospitals, U.S. Coast Guard Station Marquette, the Disaster Action
Team of the U.P. Central Chapter of the American Red Cross, and the Marquette
Salvation Army. In addition, Marq-Tran will provide students with transportation
to Camp 911 from areas throughout Marquette County.
MGHS EMS Paramedic/RN Gary Gustafson, who serves as the Marquette County
Camp 911 Project Coordinator, said planning for this year’s program has been
ongoing since January.
“Once again, our emergency response community has joined forces to present
our local youth with a quality program,” Gustafson said. “We will
provide them an interactive experience in emergency awareness not available anywhere
else.”
Camp 911 focuses on a number of areas that directly affect youth in this high-risk
age group. With unintentional injury continuing to be the leading cause of
death and injury for children and young adults, providing education focusing
on safety helps to reinforce safe behaviors. From teaching youth the importance
of strapping on a bike helmet to wearing their seat belt, Camp 911 helps
students understand how to keep safe.
Camp 911 provides students hands-on first aid skills preparing them to act
promptly in an emergency. Gustafson feels that their experience at Camp 911
is something that will last a lifetime.
“Besides learning about injury prevention and first aid, we want them to
learn something about themselves,” Gustafson said. “As decision makers,
we provide them the opportunity to handle an array of emergency situations.”
From bleeding control to rescue breathing, campers learn a number of life-saving
skills. Camp 911 also gives local youth an opportunity to meet some of Marquette
County’s finest emergency personnel and see their equipment. Additionally,
with declining numbers of medical first responders and volunteer firefighters
in rural areas, it is hopeful that some Camp 911 campers would eventually pursue
additional training and go on to serve in their local communities.
Because of the generous donation of time and expertise from Camp 911 presenters
and staff, and financial support from the community, Camp 911 is free of
charge. This provides every Marquette County sixth-grade student an equal
opportunity
to attend.
Camp 911 registration forms and information will be provided to area schools
the week of March 14-18, with registered campers subsequently receiving additional
information.
The registration deadline is Monday, March 28. Camp 911 is limited to 60
campers, and are randomly selected on a school-by-school basis, if necessary,
depending
on the number of students who apply.
For more information on the Marquette County Camp 911 program, contact Gustafson
at MGHS EMS at 225-3547, or Teresa Schwalbach, Marquette County Emergency
Management Coordinator, at 475-1134.
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