Safety education is very important to our young people. I have two visual aids that assist me when speaking to groups of children. When I speak about safety while on duty as a fire fighter, I have the big fire truck just outside. When off duty, I have the shiny dragster race car. The children respond to either vehicle with eyes and ears wide open! This is the time to take advantage of their short attention spans.

Children give Fireman Wade their rapt attention as they learn about safety

Safety programs must be tailored to different age groups. I would not speak to a high school group about "stop, drop, and roll." When talking to elementary school students, we talk about 911, "stop, drop, and roll," matches and lighters, exit drills in the home, etc. High school students need to hear about the tragedies experienced while at work, the dangers of substance abuse while driving, and/or high speed driving. Young people are not aware of the different forces placed on a vehicle while driving at high speed. My racing experience, both in building and driving race cars, allows me to explain some of the dangers.

It never hurts to have parents sit in on any class or workshop. They also will come away with something positive by the end of class. In all safety talks, I like to use training aids such as movies, photos, hand outs, or other take home material. Safety education is the key to saving our children's lives.

Mahaffey Motorsports
Phone: 301-884-3274
Email: mahaffeymotorsports@hughes.net

"Lovin' life every day! Drivin' fire trucks at work and race cars at play!"