by Kay Henderson
On Friday 23rd February, Mr Jackson took his the Year 12 Health and Social Care class to Safety Works in Newcastle. While we were there we did 4 workshops:
· First aid
· Fire safety
· Trespass police
· Sex prevention police
In the first aid sessions we put on the drunken goggles and had to walk in a straight line and to try to high five the paramedic women. Some of us did it, some of us got close and…..some of us were no where near. This showed us the impact that alcohol can have on our ability to function, and also on our judgement. After this we also learnt the recovery position.
The second session we did was on fire safety in the house. We learned about what things can start fires in a kitchen, and advice on how to avoid the dangers. When cooking food on the cooker make sure all pan handles are put to the side. If you have a chip pan you are advised to get rid of it as it is the most dangerous and most deadly thing you can have in your kitchen; if it sets on fire there is nothing you can do that will put it out.
In the event of a fire in a house follow these rules :
1. Shout fire
2. Get out of the house, closing every door you go through behind you.
3. Once out, ring 999 and ask for the fire brigade.
4. Stay out until you are told it is safe
The third thing we learned about when we were there was from the ‘Trespass Police’, also know as the local community officer. The most popular place where people trespass, particularly kids and teenagers, is train tracks. These are unfortunately one of the places that you are most likely to be killed. Three to four deaths are reported every week from trespass onto train tracks, mostly caused by electric shock from the pylons.
The final thing we learnt about was sexting. Sexting is one of the biggest concerns that is happening across the UK and all over the world at the moment. 80% of children under the age of 18 have sent photos to someone else, but once you send a photo you cannot get it back. The youngest person police had dealt with was 9. If you are worried about this speak to someone you trust and it can be reported to the police, although they still have no power to get the photo back. The most important thing is to not feel pressured into sending photos in the first place!
