The Emergency Preparedness Expo combined education with fun for the whole family on Saturday, Oct. 10. Hosted by the Washington County Office of Emergency Management, the expo filled the county’s Public Safety Training Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Guests at the expo could learn several ways to prepare for and remain safe in emergency situations. Among the tips provided was how to test your smoke detector every six months, how to contact emergency services and how to escape a fire.
This free event featured live demonstrations, hands-on learning experiences for all ages and interactive activities for children to enjoy. Outside the building, emergency vehicles of all kinds, including a boat, a bearcat, the mobile command center and an emergency air unit and rehab vehicle could be found for spectators to view in depth. A Maryland State Police helicopter also landed on site from 10 a.m. to noon.
Beyond interacting with vehicles, activities for children were abundant with a bounce house, face painting, balloon artists and a meet and greet with Chase and Marshall from Paw Patrol. Local businesses and organizations also had booths or displays at the event such as the Boy Scouts, ServPro, Washington County Health Department, American Red Cross and Children’s Village.
Inside the Public Safety Training Center, several more vendor booths could be found, but hands-on learning experiences were also offered in various rooms of the building. Spectators could engage in CPR training, as well as Stop the Bleed courses, learning how to control excessive bleeding. Guests could be seen leaving the event not only more prepared for emergencies, but also with bags full of goodies from the several vendor booths.
To sign up for Washington County’s Emergency Alerts, go to washco-md.net/emergency-management/emergency-notification-system/.
For more events in Hagerstown, visit visithagerstown.com/events.
