LIMA, Ohio (WLIO) - The Lima Noon Optimist Club's Safety City summer programs are underway.
The annual summer academies teach children 5 to 9 years old all about safety. The week long classes cover everything from verbal and physical resistance techniques, safety in public areas, how to call 911 to report emergencies, among lessons. On Monday, they learned about the importance of having a family password, with help from previous Safety City graduates.
Lima police officer Eric Mericle leads the classes along with Lima fire educator Warren Pughsley.
"We're practicing; If someone comes and says, 'Your mom told me to come pick you up, she's really sick, she got in a car crash, she's at the hospital,' we practice asking for the family password, and if they say it wrong, then you get in the RAD kids stance, and you run and say, NO!" said Ivy Goss, a Safety City participant.
"We help the kids and you get to meet other helpers from other schools," said Grayson Turgon, a Safety City assistant and former participant. "It's fun watching them graduate, because I remember a lot of my memories here."
Lima police officer Eric Mericle leads the classes along with Lima fire educator Warren Pughsley. This class will graduate Friday from the summer academy. Mericle is teaching twelve academies this summer, which are all full.
