LIMA, OH (WLIO) - Safety City opened their doors to show families how they're teaching the region's kids to make the right choices in tough situations.
Saturday's open house had plenty of fun activities, like a dunk tank or bouncy houses, for kids to do while parents took a look at the facilities. Police officers and firefighters were around to introduce themselves to the community and you could also tour buildings, like the classroom or a two-story home filled with fake smoke to practice escaping fires.
Safety City has educated generations of kids since its opening in 1978, and while walking through brings back memories for many parents, the curriculum has expanded since they were students.
"The values are there and they've grown and we've tried to grow with the times and teach them what goes on now in society. Stranger danger, we teach all the tricks and stuff, with the gun safety, the gun violence happens, unfortunately, that does happen in today's society. But we want to teach them if you find a gun, find a trusted adult to take care of that. We teach them about drug safety," explained Safety City Officer Eric Mericle of the Lima Police Department.
Safety City's summer academy is over, but they continue working with schools in the area throughout the year.
