‘Safety Saturday’ demonstrates emergency readiness

Several emergency services agencies will be demonstrating what they do at Safety Saturday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. May 20 at the Ingles parking lot in Black Mountain.

Among agencies scheduled to appear are Black Mountain Police Department; Black Mountain Fire Department; Broad River, Garren Creek, Riceville and Old Fort fire departments; Buncombe County Emergency Medical Services; Buncombe County Urban Search and Rescue Team; and WNC Safe Kids.

Also scheduled to appear will be the State Highway Patrol, Montreat Police Department, N.C. Wildlife Division, Buncombe County Sheriff’s Department, N.C. Forest Service and N.C. License and Theft Bureau.

There will also be Smokey the Bear, Sparky the Dog, a slide and an obstacle course for kids.

“We’ll be doing an accident scene, demonstrating (on) a damaged car how rescue equipment operates to cut someone out of a car,” said Lt. Bobby Davis of the Black Mountain Fire Department. Safety Saturday will showcase “our equipment and skills that people normally don’t see,” he said.

Buncombe County EMS will show people how to do hands-only CPR. A local credit union is bringing a shredder truck from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. so that people can shred sensitive papers, Davis said. Through pamphlets they can pick up, people can learn about safely burning yard waste and how to prevent wildland and brush fires.

“This is to give kids and the community a ‘meet and greet’ with their emergency personnel,” said Sgt. Chris Staton of the Black Mountain Police Department. “If they have questions, this will give us an opportunity to answer them.”