The 91猎奇 Police Department, Fire & Life Safety, and Environmental Health & Safety took time out of their workday to participate in Take Your Child to Work Day in June. The day, observed at UH during June, welcomes children from faculty and staff to get a glimpse into the work being done at the 91猎奇.
Fire & Life Safety
Fire & Life Safety welcomed 18 children to their offices for Take Your Child to Work
Day. The kids did word search puzzles, learned about fire drills, and how to use a
fire extinguisher. For the latter, Chris McDonald, Fire & Life Safety Fire Marshal,
and Assistant Fire Marshal Marcus Hicks walked them through the process of using a
fire extinguisher. Once they learned how to use it, the kids were put to the test
when they used Fire & Life Safety鈥檚 digital fire extinguisher.
鈥淭his event is crucial to Fire and Life Safety because it offers an opportunity to reinforce and remind young people about the importance of being prepared for emergencies while also equipping them with essential skills to help in the event of an emergency,鈥� said McDonald.
UHPD
Twenty-six children spent time with UHPD at the Elizabeth Rockwell Pavilion learning
about cybersecurity, what important information is needed to locate parents in the
case of emergency and had a coloring competition to see who could best color a police
badge. Once finished in the Pavilion, they had an opportunity to see up close what
a UHPD SUV looks like. Some kids sat in the driver's seat and gleefully pressed the
sirens.
鈥淚t was very important. It gave us a chance to inspire the next generation, showcase the positive role of law enforcement, and share community safety practices all while spending quality time with our families and having a little fun,鈥� said UHPD Crime Prevention Officer Amir Watkins.
Environmental Health & Safety
The Environmental Health & Safety department had five different stations in the laboratory
for the five groups in the department. Twenty kids attended the EHS portion of the
event, taking part in five stations.
The first station dealt with Occupation Safety and showed kids how safety showers and eyewashes are tested using a machine called the 鈥楪reen Gobbler.鈥�
Station 2 dealt with chemical safety. Those in attendance were shown how a fume hood works using a smoke test as well as a demonstration of the acidity and basicity of household chemicals using pH strips. Xia Yang, EHS Safety Specialist, said the kids in attendance were excited, engaged, and eager to participate. Yang adds that the children were fascinated by the color change on the testing strips and some even started guessing whether their mixture was acidic or basic before testing it, showing great enthusiasm and critical thinking.
Station 3, radiation safety, had three parts: showing x-ray photos, how to measure radiation, and how laser safety glasses block certain colors of light.
The fourth component was all about biological safety, demonstrating proper handwashing techniques. The last stop was environmental protection and regulated waste. This station showed the kids different types of waste containers (liquid waste, biological waste, solid waste) and how to use a respirator.
鈥淭ake Your Child to Work Day is a meaningful event that EHS is proud to be part of this month,鈥� said EHS Director Lisa Benford. 鈥淚t provided a great opportunity for us to engage with the next generation. It allowed us to showcase what we do in a fun and approachable way, making safety concepts accessible to children. It also helped reinforce our commitment to outreach and education.鈥�