CALEDONIA, Mich. — Benjamin Franklin once said, "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail."
Camp 911 is teaching 9 to 11-year-olds to plan for emergencies, both with prevention and reaction.
Caledonia Fire Dept., Life EMS and local law enforcement teamed up for the day camp Monday, an interactive experience teaching safety lessons. This ranged from learning CPR to water safety to what to do in a house fire.
"A large part of what police, fire and EMS does is prevention," said Captain Kyle Fennell with Caledonia Fire Department. "We like preventing bad things from happening. Teaching the kids how they can avoid those in the first place, but also, if they do encounter emergency, how they need to act? Our hope is even the young children would rise up in that situation and act and do the right thing."
Since Camp 911 began, nearly 11,000 children have learned life-saving techniques.
"It's really cool and really fun," said Benjamin Fennell, a 10-year-old taking part in the camp. "It's lifesaving too."
Taking place at the Caledonia Fire Department, the students also explored a smokey house with the department's two-story fire simulation.
“This drives home our interest in protecting the communities we serve by empowering youth with the knowledge and skills to lead a healthy and safe life, and be that role model for others,” said Mark Meijer, president and CEO of Life EMS Ambulance in a press release.