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Kids learn to ride safely
  
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By Nicole Chillino
Kids came with bikes in tow to check out the safety of their two-wheeled transportation and to learn about safety on their bikes and elsewhere June 27.
The fourth annual Colorado Springs Fire Station 8 bike and safety fair at The Promenade Shops at Briargate included a free helmet giveaway, bike mechanic, fire engines, El Paso County Search and Rescue, Flight for Life helicopter drop in, a smoke trailer for kids to learn about fire safety and more, said the event’s coordinator Kevin Apuron, who is a firefighter and paramedic at station 8.
The annual fair was created after a boy was hit by a car behind fire station 8 a number of years ago.
“He wasn’t wearing a helmet,” Apuron said. The boy lived, but the incident left firefighters wanting to protect other kids by giving away bike helmets.
Each year, the station gives helmets to about 200-300 kids, especially those whose parents cannot afford the $20 investment, he said.
The firefighters, however wanted to do more than merely give kids helmets, they wanted to give them education about bike and fire safety as well, Apuron said. As a result, the fair included a bike rodeo to teach kids the proper way to stop on a bike as well as how to use traffic signals.
Fire safety was also taught using a trailer that simulates smoke created by a house fire, he said. Kids learned to respond to fire detectors, make meeting places with their families and how to stay below the smoke when evacuating from a fire.
The event is normally at the station, but this year, the coordinators, including the Colorado Springs Professional Firefighters, Local 5, had the opportunity to have it at the shops, Apuron said.
This year’s event also included a collection for the Muscular Dystrophy Association atop the roofs of the shops. Colorado Springs Professional Firefighters, Local 5, were “stranded” on the roofs until they collected enough money to allow them to climb down, said Deanna Delarge, marketing coordinator for The Promenade Shops at Briargate. For every $100 the firefighters collected toward their cause, their rescue ladder was raised a little more.
“We love providing free community events here at the center,” Delarge said.
Not only are the businesses pleased to get people to come in and shop, they are also happy to provide something for families to do in the area, she said.
For more information about the annual event, visit www.iafflocal5.com.
The fourth annual Colorado Springs Fire Station 8 bike and safety fair at The Promenade Shops at Briargate included a free helmet giveaway, bike mechanic, fire engines, El Paso County Search and Rescue, Flight for Life helicopter drop in, a smoke trailer for kids to learn about fire safety and more, said the event’s coordinator Kevin Apuron, who is a firefighter and paramedic at station 8.
The annual fair was created after a boy was hit by a car behind fire station 8 a number of years ago.
“He wasn’t wearing a helmet,” Apuron said. The boy lived, but the incident left firefighters wanting to protect other kids by giving away bike helmets.
Each year, the station gives helmets to about 200-300 kids, especially those whose parents cannot afford the $20 investment, he said.
The firefighters, however wanted to do more than merely give kids helmets, they wanted to give them education about bike and fire safety as well, Apuron said. As a result, the fair included a bike rodeo to teach kids the proper way to stop on a bike as well as how to use traffic signals.
Fire safety was also taught using a trailer that simulates smoke created by a house fire, he said. Kids learned to respond to fire detectors, make meeting places with their families and how to stay below the smoke when evacuating from a fire.
The event is normally at the station, but this year, the coordinators, including the Colorado Springs Professional Firefighters, Local 5, had the opportunity to have it at the shops, Apuron said.
This year’s event also included a collection for the Muscular Dystrophy Association atop the roofs of the shops. Colorado Springs Professional Firefighters, Local 5, were “stranded” on the roofs until they collected enough money to allow them to climb down, said Deanna Delarge, marketing coordinator for The Promenade Shops at Briargate. For every $100 the firefighters collected toward their cause, their rescue ladder was raised a little more.
“We love providing free community events here at the center,” Delarge said.
Not only are the businesses pleased to get people to come in and shop, they are also happy to provide something for families to do in the area, she said.
For more information about the annual event, visit www.iafflocal5.com.
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