It wasn’t the largest event on the Arkansas Union Mall this fall, but it was very impactful on those who attended. The first Razorback Safety Festival, sponsored and organized by the Division of Student Affairs, was held on a beautiful crisp day in September.
Hundreds of students stopped by the tables spread out across the Union Mall on Sept. 11 and learned about some important safety and emergency information with hands on experiences.
“The Razorback Safety Festival was an important event to help our students be better prepared for emergencies that may arise,” said Kathy Shaffer, assistant director of emergency management & student domestic travel for Student Affairs. “If we want our students to be successful, they need to feel secure knowing they are ready for unexpected emergencies.”
“My favorite part of the event was seeing the students’ response to it. I talked to several students, and they all spoke highly of their experience,” Shaffer said.
“I learned a lot of things,” said Georgia Gilbert, a freshman from Ft. Smith, majoring in elementary education. “People are here to help, and I really feel that.”
Gilbert said she thought it was all important information for students to know, with everything from cyber security to safety apps, to fire safety.
Captain Andrew Horton, deputy fire marshal with Fayetteville Fire Department said that outreach is a priority for the fire department and events like the Razorback Safety Fest allow them to reach a lot of people at the same time.
“This was a great event. There are a lot of students seeking knowledge and we are giving it to them,” Horton said.
Sydney Still, a junior recreational sports major from Fort Worth, tried her hand at extinguishing the virtual fire – a real fire extinguisher with a tablet attached that simulates a fire in front of you.
“You just pull, aim and squeeze,” Horton told students trying out the augmented reality, virtual fire extinguisher. “Understanding how to do this is just another tool in your toolbox.”
“I’ve never even touched one (fire extinguisher), but I feel like it is important for everyone to know how to use it,” Still said. “After this experience I will be ready now. I’m the one who can use it, and I won’t let me roommates down.”
Sakina, an international student from Pakistan, had only been in the country one month when she attended the Safety Fest. Like many students she went from table to table intentionally taking part in the safety activities and demonstrations.
“I learned how to do CPR and how to use an AED machine, and other things,” Sakina said. “Safety is important. After these sessions I feel like I know a lot more.”
Dan Skoff, chief meteorologist for KNWA and FOX24, and his team of meteorologists were at the event talking about weather alerts and had a Tornado VR experience for festival attendees to try out.
“Weather can be dangerous, and we want people to be informed,” Skoff said.
Skoff had a weather quiz to test students’ knowledge about weather and provided QR codes with links to important weather-related safety information and a severe weather brochure.
“We are talking about watches vs. warnings, and what to do during the big three dangerous weather events – flooding, lightning, and tornados,” Skoff said.
Sophomore Caleb Carpenter from Oklahoma is a computer science major, and checked out the Tornado VR experience. Carpenter was about 1 mile from the F5 tornado that ripped through Oklahoma City in 2013. He is no stranger to dangerous storms.
He said the Tornado VR experience “was a bit surreal. It’s like going back to those storms I felt in Oklahoma.”
Weather emergencies were not the only thing on Carpenter’s mind. He also had questions about food safety, specifically how long to safely keep things refrigerated.
“I’ve learned quite a lot at this event,” Carpenter said. “It is all great little bits of information I can take with me!”
The Associated Student Government had a SafeRide van on display and gave out information about that program. UAPD had table and talked about the SafeZone app. Housing had a safety trivia table and handed out prizes. The Arkansas Union handed out first aid kits and had information about food safety.
“During the event I had a couple offices express interest in being a part of the next event,” Shaffer said. “So, I will be outreaching to them when we begin planning. We are hoping to make the event bigger and better next year!”
Enjoy our gallery of photos from the event!
