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The fifth annual Kosciusko County Summer Safety Fest will be held Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Center Lake Pavilion, Warsaw.
The purpose of the event is to help promote safety for both children and adults involving nearly all areas of life.
The event has become part of the National Safe Kids Campaign. Darlene Eherenman, Kosciusko County Safe Kids Liaison and coordinator of the safety fest, said she wanted to start the summer with "healthy safe kids" and reduce the amount of "unintentional injury," which is the leading cause of death and disability among children age 14 and under.
According to the Safe Kids Campaign, more than 6,600 children age 14 and under died from unintentional injuries in 1995, and nearly 120,000 were permanently disabled.
The primary cause of the injuries is motor vehicle-related accidents, including children as occupants, pedestrians and bicyclists.
Other major causes include poisoning, choking, drowning, fire and burns, and unintentional firearm injuries.
The Safety Fest has been designed to educate parents and children on the potential dangers involved with riding bicycles, swimming and other everyday activities.
At 10:30 a.m. Ronald McDonald will present a safety show for kids at the Center Lake Pavilion before the Safety Fest officially begins.
At 1:30 p.m. all other activities will stop so everyone can witness an emergency helicopter rescue re-enactment over Center Lake, put on by the U.S. Coast Guard, which is new for this year.
The Warsaw Community Schools' bus garage will have a bus on hand and will present a program on bus safety tips, which is also new to the event this year.
Several other area organizations will put on presentations throughout the day as well.
Kosciusko Community Hospital will present a program on poison awareness, Warsaw Parks Department will present skating safety, the Girl Scouts will do a program on emergency CPR, the Warsaw Community Library will put on a show for pedestrian safety, the Red Cross will present water safety and the Department of Natural Resources will do a presentation on boating safety.
Other attractions at the event include Smokey the Bear, Sparky the Fire Dog and Vince and Larry, the crash test dummies.
It is Eherenman's hope that next year more businesses will get involved in the program, allowing the education to be expanded to include railroad and farm safety.
