Gloucestershire's first safety education centre
The SkillZone centre will be situated alongside the new fire station off Cole Avenue near to its junction with the A38, Bristol Road.
The Gloucestershire SkillZone is opening during 2012 and will be used to educate young and other vulnerable people about living safely using practical scenarios. Research shows that people, in particular children, retain knowledge and learning better this way, than simply being told 'what to do' or 'what not to do' in a classroom environment.
The Gloucestershire SkillZone is opening during 2012 and will be used to educate young and other vulnerable people about living safely using practical scenarios. Research shows that people, in particular children, retain knowledge and learning better this way, than simply being told 'what to do' or 'what not to do' in a classroom environment.
Scenarios will include:
- A street/road scene complete with light-controlled pedestrian crossing and associated vehicles (bus, cars, bicycles), where road safety messages and responsible behaviour can be developed.
- A play area, which includes vandalised play equipment, discarded broken bottles (alcohol), syringes, dog excreta. All demonstrating hazard, risk and the social outcomes of vandalism.
- A dark alley where youngsters can be 'offered' drugs
- A fully furnished, two-storey house where the youngsters can go from room to room 'hazard spotting'. The house can even 'catch fire' causing the youngsters to practice 'learnt behaviour' of getting low away from the smoke, calmly exiting the house and dialling 999. The external parts of the house would demonstrate dangers of BBQ's, water features and the garden shed (tools, pesticides even the family 'pet')
- Building site; and showing why we have the signage that exists, the hazards if youngsters don't 'Stay Out' etc.
- Farm yard; in a rural county such as ours these places are quite common but of course do bring their own specific risks such as farm machinery, pesticides and the risk of making dens in flammable hay/barns
- Heathlands; not just the risk of fire, but anti-social aspects such as leaving litter, broken bottles around, also the wildlife risks such as adders and what affect we can have on the wildlife by thoughtlessness.
- Railways; for some youngsters the 'chance/dare' aspects of running across a track when a train is approaching can be faithfully brought to life through modern technology. Putting a group of school children in the modified cab of a locomotive and showing a drivers view of the track through a plasma screen and just how helpless a driver would be in terms of reacting to anyone running across the track in front.