For Pine Grove students, it might be hard to say what was more fun on Sept. 27: playing ‘rock, paper, scissors’ with Smokey the Bear or getting their arms splinted in a real, live ambulance. Or maybe it was seeing where the “bad guys” sit if they’re picked up by Conservation Officer Leah Kampa.
Either way, it was a fun day of hands-on learning for the Aazhoomog (District III) kids.
DNR fire technician Tyler Rosnau started things off by talking about wildfires and his role in keeping forests and humans safe from fire. He showed the kids an oil torch used to set fires and let them pretend to be baked potatoes by crawling under his emergency blanket.
(After Smokey said goodbye, some kids were surprised to see Eli Staples leaving the school with Tyler.)
Next up were Beth and Dawn from Essentia Ambulance. They gave the kids a tour of their ambulance, splinted and wrapped imaginary wounds, showed the kids how to use a stethoscope, and let them lie down on the gurney and listen to each other’s heartbeats.
Conservation Officer Leah Kampa followed with an explanation of her job protecting natural resources and regulating hunting and fishing activity. She showed the students her ATV and pickup and talked about the other equipment she uses in her job, including snowmobiles and boats.
The morning concluded with a visit from East Central Energy, reminding kids to be careful around downed power lines.
