Becoming a Safe Highlander

2,000 Primary 7 pupils from schools within Inverness and the surrounding area will be heading to the Cameron Barracks, Inverness, between 5th and 14th of May at different times to take part in a community safety project aimed at making them Safe Highlanders. Primary 7 pupils from locations further afield in the Highland region will attend three satellite events held at Lairg (9 June), Portree (16 June) and Wick (7 & 8 September).

Safe Highlanders, established in 1996, is an educational event which aims to tackle challenging issues of community safety by enabling children to:

During their day, youngsters will get a chance to experience a number of potentially hazardous situations, allowing them to participate in a range of simulated practical exercises. The scheme is based on the principle of “learning by doing” and pupils will acquire life saving skills and knowledge on first aid, fire safety, safety on roads, railways lines and farms. Children will be presented with the danger of electricity, building sites and staff and volunteers working for the Inverness Drug & Alcohol Forum will advise pupils of the health implications of alcohol or drug misuse. For instance, at the road safety set presented by Northern Constabulary, The Highland Council and the Highlands and Islands Fire and Rescue Service children are asked to judge the stopping distance of a car being driven at 30mph. At the first aid set presented by the British Red Cross pupils will be shown how to diagnose and treat an unconscious person.

The agencies currently involved are The Highland Council, British Red Cross, British Transport Police, Construction Industry Training Board and Institute of Safety & Health, Health & Safety Executive, Highlands and Islands Fire and Rescue Service, Inverness Drug and Alcohol Forum, Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Northern Constabulary and Scottish Hydro-Electric.

Isabelle Kaminairz, Community Safety Officer, The Highland Council, said: “Safe Highlanders could not have been a success without the help of many volunteers who donated their energy and time to support the event. Young members of the Boys Brigade will pack almost 3,000 goodie bags for all the pupils attending the Inverness and satellite events. The Highland Council and all the partner agencies would like to thank all the volunteers and the Boys Brigade for their support and involvement with this year Safe Highlanders.”