The Chatham-Kent Children’s Safety Village continues to add to its programming even as it celebrates its tenth anniversary.
Spokesman Gary Patterson said last week the facility, located in the C.M. Wilson Conservation Area, is well known in the community for having helped thousands of children throughout the years.
“We’ve had some fantastic community partners over the years,” he said. “It’s great to see so many people who want to help.”
A recent example of that has been the installation of the “Tug-of-War” unit as part of the farm safety program.
The device simulates the difficulty of pulling someone out of a grain storage device.
Incidents involving grain safety claim lives in the farming community each year. Three sisters in Alberta died in October due to an accident in unloading canola.
The Tug-Of-War Device was supplied by Brooke Design & Fabrication Inc. in partnership with Zimmer Controls and Contracting.
Blueprints were donated by Iowa State University and the device was installed in time for the Jan. 12 kick off of the village’s safety programs.
Kent & Essex Mutual Insurance is a sponsor of the Farm Safety Program and showed its support by attending the demonstration and donating $5,000.
A new supporter is Southwest Ag Partners Inc.
Chatham-Kent-Essex MPP Rick Nicholls said such support shows the need for and acceptance of the village.
Nicholls was on hand to provide provincial recognition of the village’s marking its tenth year. He remarked that the grain demonstration reminded him of a personal scare he received as a child.
“I was once trapped in quicksand when I was young,” he said. “I was able to get out but I know how important it is that we teach young people to be aware of the dangers of grain storage and what to do if an accident happens.
