There are all sorts of ways to make training interesting, but few are as creative and interactive as the one developed by the Safety Team at Plainfield Park District. According to Risk Manager Paul Crisman, the event for all employees combined a scavenger hunt with a quiz show/match game theme to cover important safety topics at five different “stations.”
 
“At the beginning of the training, we divided staff into groups,” Crisman recounts. “Each station had a list of questions and/or items to look for; employees had to find the items and answer the questions. After each group visited all the stations, they gathered at the pavilion for more questions — and for participants to receive their snack prizes.”
   
The stations covered critical safety issues identified by the Safety Team. “Our trainings were mainly a refresher for employees, who already have a good knowledge base,” he explains. The locations addressed customer service and behavior management; slips, trips and falls; weather and customer safety...

Fall and winter mean hot cider and pumpkin lattes, toasted marshmallows, hayrides, sleigh rides…and extra measures to manage risks for member agencies. “This time of year, members need to think about special precautions for agency events,” says Mary Pedersen, PDRMA Risk Management Consultant. “It gets darker earlier, and cold weather means increased slip, trip and fall hazards, among other risks. Planning outdoor events safely in fall and winter takes advance planning, including coordinating with local emergency services.”

One good example of seasonal readiness is Bourbonnais Township Park District’s Sleepy Hollow fall event. “Our Night in Sleepy Hollow is a four-night event we host outdoors at one of our parks in mid-October,” explains Nicole Jenkins, Superintendent of Recreation. “It is a play re-enactment of Washington Irving’s ‘Legend of Sleepy Hollow’ with Ichabod Crane and the headless horseman. We feature a play production inside an old barn with our local theatre group that highlights the story of the headless horseman legend, complete with a hayride into the woods with a trained horseman in costume.” It also includes kid friendly hayrides, barrel train rides, carnival style games, a mini corn maze, laser tag and a kids play zone with a straw-bale maze and corn pit. “It all happens after dark to add to the spooky feel, and while it does add lighting challenges to our logistics, it makes the event that much more of a fun, family Halloween tradition...

We’re back! After a two-year hiatus with virtual sessions, the Risk Management Institute (RMI), PDRMA’s premier training opportunity, is finally live again....

As the summer rush of agency programs and events fades, fall can be a great time of year for you to enroll in a refresher course or learn something new...