In alliance with National Safety Awareness Month, Fire Safety Month, and National Crime Prevention Month, Sinclair Community College will hold its 26th Annual Safety Awareness Expo, hosted by the Sinclair Police.
“The Safety Awareness Expo provides the opportunity for the entire college community to find out about their hometown police departments, and find out about programs they may otherwise not be familiar with,” Sinclair Police Lt. Scott Fowler said. “And also meet the officers on a one-to-one basis, [where they will] be able to ask questions.”
The event will feature more than 45 organizations, including local police departments, as well as safety, fire and consumer agencies, in order to give students the chance to meet officers in a more personal way.
“There’s a big difference between meeting a police officer when you’re pulled over versus in a setting like this where it’s relaxed and the conversation’s pretty open,” he said.
Fowler said the event will feature repelling activities, in which the Kettering SWAT team and Sinclair Police Academy members will repel off of Building 10 — Sinclair’s tallest building.
Fowler said although this is the highlight of the Safety Awareness Expo, the general public will not be allowed to repel off the building.
In addition to the repelling activities, several specialty vehicles will be featured, including the Dayton Hostage Negotiation Team van, a 1966 version of the Batmobile, a replica Dukes of Hazard cruiser and a fire truck.
Fire safety activities will also be featured.
Fowler said the State Fire Marshall Office will feature a digital fire extinguisher trainer, in which attendees can learn how to put out fires.
“The Sinclair Department of Public Safety takes the safety and security of students, faculty, staff and visitors very seriously here at Sinclair,” Sinclair Police Chief Charles Gift said. “The Safety Expo is a way to promote student involvement in their own safety and security.”
The Safety Expo is free to attend and will be held on Sept. 18 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the plaza area, outside of Buildings 10 and 11.
“Everyone has a perception of what security is and what safety is,” Fowler said. “So, this really just gives them (attendees) peace of mind, knowing that there’s so many agencies out there that are concerned with their safety and well-being — including our department. And this is our way of being able to present that to them and make these agencies available to them.”