Pupils take part in health and safety event in Fintona

PREVENTING and coping with potentially dangerous situations in a controlled environment was the aim of a recent fast-paced health and safety event in Fintona, which saw more than 600 pupils across the Omagh and Fermanagh district in attendance.

Organised and funded by Fermanagh and Omagh Policing and Community Safety Partnership (PCSP), the three-day ‘Bee Safe’ event provided a fun, practical learning environment for primary school children to better understand safety issues and how to respond to them.

Bee Safe is a collaboration between the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS), Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), Northern Ireland Electricity Networks (NIE Networks), Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and Translink, with each organisation presenting different scenarios to encourage children to think about hazardous situations and the most appropriate actions.

The sessions are designed expressly with the intention of encouraging high levels of interaction and involvement from pupils by getting them to participate in simulated scenarios in a controlled environment.

This not only encourages the children to think for themselves, but also gives them practical experience of preventing and coping with potentially dangerous situations as opposed to learning about managing risk in a classroom environment.

Speaking about the event, chairperson of Fermanagh and Omagh Policing and Community Safety Partnership, Councillor Tommy Maguire said that the ‘excellent event’ aimed to develop awareness on a range of important issues as young people prepare for the transition from primary to secondary education.

“I hope that all the young people who attended the event take on board the important messages to help keep themselves, their friends, and their families safe,” he said.

“I would like to commend the delivery partners for their continued commitment to this annual event.”