20/07/10…Stark road safety message for Thame pupils (Status: Press release)

SCHOOL CHIDREN in Thame got a stark reminder of the possible consequences of not abiding by road safety rules thanks to Oxfordshire County Council’s Fire and Rescue Service.

Seventy-five Year nine Lord Williams’s School pupils watched as firefighters cut free a live casualty from a vehicle during a mocked-up demonstration as part of a day designed to highlight crucial road safety messages.

Team building activities

The students also took part in a series of team-building activities at the recent event held at the Oxford Road school, including hose-running and dam-building. Many also completed an It’s A Knockout-style obstacle course.

Firefighters also pressed home several road safety messages, including the importance of wearing a seat beat, as part of Oxfordshire County Council’s Fire and Rescue Service’s 365 Alive initiative, which aims to promote a safer community for everyone through safety education and prevention work.

Great success

Stuart Garner, Oxfordshire County Council’s Fire and Rescue Service’s Risk Reduction and Strategic Partnerships Manager, said: “The day was a great success as the pupils engaged with all of the activities and hopefully learnt the importance of being able to work within a team.

“Road safety education is very important and it was good to have the opportunity to educate the pupils on the importance of always wearing a seat belt.”

Important messages

Richard Taylor, the Assistant Headteacher at Lord Williams’s School, said: “We were delighted to welcome Oxfordshire County Council’s Fire and Rescue Service into our school. Our students had fun, worked together in teams and learned about the commitment and energy that is required to be a member of the emergency services.

“The cutting of the car was a profound but engaging demonstration of the consequences of road traffic accidents and it vividly grasped the attention of the students who watched it unfold.

“It was really a tremendous day and we’re very grateful that the firefighters who came and put so much effort into pressing home some very important messages.”

PHOTO: firefighters cutting free a live casualty during a mocked-up demonstration held at Lord Williams’s School, Thame.