Safe Community Day highlights safety in a fun way

Safe Community Day this Saturday, June 1 will give the community a chance to get up close with first responders and the equipment that they use to save lives.

Kami Neighbors of Washakie County Emergency Management said, “It’s a chance for the public to come and meet our first responders and other agencies in our community that help keep our community safe. Typically, these are people that you meet when you’re having a bad day. Instead, we want you to meet them in a fun, safe environment.”

Safe Community Day is hosted by Washakie County Emergency Management, the City of

Worland, Washakie County Public Health, Worland Fire Department, Worland Police Department, and the Washakie County Sheriff’s Office. It will run from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m at Newell Sargent Park.

The sponsoring agencies will have booths at the event, as well as: Washakie County Search and Rescue who will showcase their rescue drone, the U.S. Forest Service that is bringing two saddle horses and a pack horse, Wyoming Highway Patrol that will have a “drunk goggles” simulation, Worland Fire Department will bring a fire hose for people to try spraying. First Flight of Wyoming and Guardian Flight will both be bringing a helicopter, Cody Regional Health will bring an ambulance, and the National Weather Service will bring a tornado in a jar.

Additional agencies present include Oxbow Center, American Red Cross, Wyoming 211, the Worland Crisis Prevention and Response Center, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Firefighters, BLM Rangers, Wyoming Game and Fish, High Plains Power and Wyoming Gas.

Throughout the event, the Worland High School class of 2025 will have a dunk tank to raise money for their class.

Law enforcement will be handing out free bike helmets to guests until they run out.

The event itself is free to guests and five food vendors will be there selling pizza, cotton candy, shaved ice and Mexican food.

EVENT SCHEDULE

High Plains Power has the first scheduled event of the day, beginning with electrical safety demonstrations at 10:30 a.m. and once again at 11:30 a.m.

At 11 a.m., Wyoming Game and Fish will be demonstrating bear and large carnivore safety by showing how to use bear spray up against a ‘robobear,’ a remote control bear on wheels, and again at 12:30 p.m.

At noon, the Worland Fire Department will do a demonstration involving two burning buildings, one equipped with a sprinkler system and one without.

As the grand finale, at approximately 12:30 p.m., Washakie County Sheriff Austin Brookwell and Worland Police Chief Gabe Elliott will hopefully be taking a shot from a taser courtesy of Captain Chris Hazen for charity. The “Tase for a Cause” event aims to raise at least $5,000 to donate to the Washakie Hospital Foundation’s cancer fund, with the promise of getting to watch law enforcement get electrocuted if the goal

is met.

“Who doesn’t want to see that,” said Brookwell.