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Life Lion Helicopter Appears At Farm Safety Day
GAIL STROCK
Mifflin Co. Correspondent
PORT ROYAL (Juniata Co.)
“Almost every accident hap
pens because someone has made
a mistake,” extension director
Dave Filson began. “And to pre
vent accidents, everyone must
learn how to make the right
decisions.”
Everyone included the 106
youngsters who attended Farm
Safety Day in early April at the
Port Royal Fairgrounds. They
wanted to learn how to make the
right decisions.
What if an unfriendly dog
approaches you?
Should you mow if the guards
aren’t on the lawn mower?
Should you really climb as
high as you want in that old
Maple tree?
This Farm Safety Day contin
ues to be a popular Cooperative
Extension attraction, drawing
participants, community spe
cialists, and extension agents
from Juniata, Perry, and Mifflin
Counties. This year featured two
new programs, a safety program
geared specifically for children
four to seven year olds and a
CPR program for teens and
adults.
At the end of the day, every
one gathered outside to watch a
staged rescue scene, complete
with ambulance and the Life
Lion helicopter. The scene even
attracted children and parents
from the surrounding neighbor
hood who gathered to watch the
Life Lion take off.
sKidg ■ Konger
Here’s a story about making
the right decisions.
Johnny’s farm adventure began
when his mother gave him an impor
tant assignment. With serious consid
eration, he tied his shoe laces tightly,
buttoned his jacket securely, pushed
his cap down snugly, and turned his
senses to full alert.
His mission? To go get milk for
breakfast. Just 100 yards from here to
the milkhouse, seven-year-old
Johnny thought but the farm is just
crawling with danger.
He stepped cautiously out of the
house and immediately dodged a rake
handle that came whizzing past his
ear. He’d stepped on the upturned
tines! Who had left the rake in that
position? He placed the rake in the
tool shed where it belonged.
Coming out of the tool shed.
Johnny was tempted to inspect some
broken glass m the flower bed beside
the shed, but he knew he could get
cut. He chose not to touch it. Then he
spied the lawn mower m the middle
of the yard. He used to love riding on
it with his dad, but he won’t be doing
that anymore. He learned the “no seat
- no riding” rule at the farm safety
camp last week. If a riding mower,
tractor, all terrain vehicle, or other
piece of machinery has only one seat,
only one person may be on it. He’s
always tempted to climb aboard as a
passenger because it’s so much fun,
but he doesn’t want to get hurt. No
seat - no ndmg. That’s how he’s
going to stay safe.
Johnny swung his milk container
as he walked under the huge maple
tree in his backyard. He smiled,
thinking of these long hot summer
A Pretend farm accident kept children’s attention as an ambulance transported
the “victim” to the Life Lion helicopter.
nr-woni 1 t a l??^°i ingsters at * e , nd Farm Safet V Da V at the Port Royal Fairgrounds. To
prevent accidents, you must learn how to make the right decisions, they were told.
days when he and his neighbor dared
each other to climb higher. It sure was
fun - until his friend fell out of the
tree and broke his leg.
As Johnny rounded the end of the
com crib, he came face to muzzle
with a stray dog! He stopped and
stood perfectly still.
What did he learn at Farm Safety
Camp?
Be a tree! If a strange dog gets too
close, pretend to be a tree!
He’ll chase you if you run, Johnny
remembered. If I were playing on the
ground, I’d lay face down, cover my
head with my hands while protecting
my ears with my elbows, and pretend
to be a log. The stray dog sniffed
Johnny’s stinky, old bam shoes and
slowly walked away.
Johnny entered the milkhouse and
filled his milk pail. He felt proud that
he’d made it safely through treacher-
ous territory. He’d made the right
decisions and stayed safe. On his way
back to the house, he’ll cut through
the bam in spite of the temptations -
cute newborn calves with their dan
gerous, protective mothers and fun
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but smothering gram in the gravity
wagon. He planned to avoid these.
His mother will be proud of him for
getting the milk, but he was already
proud of himself for keeping safe by
making all the right decisions.