Chelsea Police Officer Shane Sumner talks about personal safety at Safety Town

(Publisher’s note there were more than 100 children enrolled in Safety Town. This information has been corrected in the story.)

North Creek Elementary School was filled will more than 100 children participating in Safety Town this week in both a morning and an afternoon session.

The participants, who are expected to begin Kindergarten in the fall, were divided into red, yellow and green groups.

On Tuesday, they learned about personal safety from Chelsea Police Officer Shane Sumner.

The week-long education program brings in emergency personnel from Huron Valley Ambulance, the Chelsea Police Department and the Chelsea Area Fire Authority to teach the youngsters about “various levels of personal safety – from traffic and bus to fire, seat belt, stranger danger, poison and electrical.

The lessons are taught through hand’s on activities from teachers and actual emergency personnel. And, the children learn through presentations, stories, projects, songs and activities.

The gym at North Creek was transformed into “Safetyville” for the week said Sally Wingle, preschool teacher at Chelsea Community Preschool.

There are structures such as a police and fire station and a bank. There’s a traffic light and sidewalks and children walk and ride bikes around the area and learn proper pedestrian and bicycle procedures.

On Tuesday, June 17, the youngsters learned about personal safety from Sumner ,who explained all the gear that he was wearing from his Taser, which emits 50,000 volts to his handcuff key, which looks like a pen.

The 12-year veteran of the Chelsea Police Department explained stranger danger to the children, encouraging them to “scream your head off” if approached by a stranger.

“Scream. Loud,” he said, and had them practice screaming. “Your voices and your alertness are your tools. If someone you don’t know comes up to you and starts asking you questions, scream your head off.”

He told the children to walk in groups and in well-lit areas, because bad guys might be more reluctant to approach them.

Sumner told them to avoid dangerous things like broken glass and guns. “If you are close enough to see it, don’t touch it. Go tell an adult about it,” he said.

The children were also reminded about calling 9-1-1 in case of an emergency and that this number was not to be called as a joke.

“If someone’s hurt or you’re lost, get to a phone and call 9-1-1,” he said.

Sumner told the children to listen to their parents and always make the right choices.

“Make good decisions,” he said.

The police officer then took the children out to see his patrol car and showed them a special vest that weighs about 45-pounds, which is used in riot or active shooter situations.

Above all else, he told the children to remember, “use the tools you have – especially your voice.”

Please enjoy the slide show below, which contains about 15 different photos.