Last week, the Alameda Fire Department (AFD) teamed up with the Alameda Police Department (APD) to host their annual Safety Town event, teaching more than 700 kindergarteners from the Alameda Unified School District (AUSD) and local private schools about what the fire and police departments do, and how to be safe during a fire.
This popular—and important—program has been part of Alameda’s Kindergarten experience for 51 years. Many teachers participated in the program as children, and it evokes many fond memories including a visit from Freddie the Fire Truck.
Retired teacher Jane Lee ran the Safety Town program for many years and was called back to get it going again last year after a hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic. The success of the program is due to heavy participation from the AFD Prevention Bureau, APD, and AUSD as well as many volunteers from Kiwanis and the Naval Reserve.
In last week’s program, firefighters and police covered essential safety topics for youngsters, from fire safety to the importance of wearing proper safety gear while riding bikes, scooters, and skateboards. Police officers taught the kindergarteners how to safely cross the street on foot, as well as safe habits to practice when riding bicycles past driveways and when approaching streets.
“Thank you to everyone who played a part in providing this fun and educational program to our community’s Kindergarten students,” AFD posted on Facebook.
“We had a fantastic time and can’t wait to welcome next year’s Kindergarten class to Alameda’s Safety Town,” APD chimed in on its Facebook page. “Thank you to everyone who made this week special!”
