S.C. Kindergarteners Meet First Responders, Learn about Emergencies

Oct. 04--Police and paramedics responded to Chukker Creek Elementary School early Friday -- but this call was one of education and fun rather than emergency.

The school held its annual Community Helper Day, during which more than 100 kindergarten students got to interact with first responders, learning about not only their job but what to do in an emergency.

Participants included the Aiken Department of Public Safety, the Aiken County Bloodhound Tracking Team, Aiken County EMS and SouthStarEMS.

Paramedics let the students explore the ambulances and showed them some of the tools they commonly use.

"What we want them to do is not be afraid when the ambulance comes," said James Bolen of Aiken County EMS. "A lot of times, we respond to calls with children, and when we show up, they don't know us. They're afraid."

Public Safety officers Jason Griffin and Josh Parry wanted to share the same point in their presentation about fire safety.

Griffin discussed the importance of not playing with matches, having smoke detectors in your home and having an escape plan in case of a fire, and Parry suited up in full fire gear in front of the students.

He spoke to students with the air mask on so they could hear how different he sounded. Many students went up to touch the gear or to hug Parry afterward.

Griffin said the presentation is all about familiarizing children with emergency responders so they know what to expect if they ever have to call them.

"We want to let them know that the firefighter is there to help them and not to be scared of them," Griffin said. "They may look scary in the outfit at first. We want to make sure they understand that person is there to help them. It's important to show them now, outside of an emergency."

As part of the festivities, the students got to dress up as a "community helper." Costumes included police officers, firefighters, doctors, nurses, an FBI agent and even an astronaut.

Zoey Watson was dressed as a dentist, which she said she wants to be "so I can be rich."

Wells Harm donned an "Army man suit," complete with binoculars and a walkie-talkie.

"I forgot about my hat. We don't know where that is," he said.

His grandfather was a soldier, but Harm said he wants to be a police officer.

Kindergarten teacher Ashley Watson said the event has been going on for several years, and the purpose is to give the students more hands-on experiences.

"It gives them exposure they may not have otherwise," she said. "They can see that there are people who help us in the community, and these are things that you can aspire to be."

The students also watched a video about the different kinds of community helpers they can be when they grow up.

"We have to explain that a community helper is someone who has a job and is a helper. It's not just a character," she said. "And these are everyday superheroes that you can be. Some people want to be Spider-Man, and we're like, 'Hey, as a crime fighter, you can be the police officer and do the same thing Spider-Man does as your real-life job.' It's very exciting to give them that comparison."

Teddy Kulmala covers the crime and courts beat for the Aiken Standard and has been with the newspaper since August 2012. He is a native of Williston and majored in communication studies at Clemson University.

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