Free Community Safety Day, Touch-A-Truck set for Jackson

JACKSON, Mo. (KBSI) — Jackson Fire Rescue and the Jackson Community Outreach Board are combining two community events for a day focused on safety education and hands-on activities for families.

Community Safety Day and Touch-A-Truck will be held Saturday, Oct. 10, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Jackson Civic Center.

The free event will give children and families an opportunity to get an up-close look at vehicles and equipment used throughout the community, including fire trucks, police vehicles, helicopters, school buses, construction equipment and utility vehicles.

Visitors will also be able to meet the people who operate the vehicles, ask questions and learn more about their work.

Organizers say the event will include safety education, bounce houses, a smoke house, food trucks and giveaways.

A quiet hour will be held from 9 to 10 a.m.

The Missouri Child Identification and Protection Program, or MoCHIP, also will be available during the event. The free program provides families with child identification resources that can assist law enforcement if a child goes missing.

According to event information, those resources can include digital photographs, fingerprints, physical descriptions, dental bite impressions, a DNA sample and a canine scent profile. The information is provided to parents or guardians.

Jackson Fire Rescue offers several community outreach programs throughout the year, including car seat checks, CPR and first aid classes, smoke and carbon monoxide detector checks, fire extinguisher training, station tours and home fire safety inspections.

Touch-A-Truck has also been part of Jackson’s community programming in previous years. City records show the Jackson Community Outreach Board has been discussing plans for this year’s event in recent meetings.

Community Safety Day and Touch-A-Truck is free and open to families.

The Jackson Civic Center is located at 381 E. Deerwood Drive.