Safety is everyone’s business, and the RTA along with community partners has announced that it will promote personal safety through “Play It Safe” day on Aug. 12 from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. in the concourse of Wright Stop Plaza, 4 S. Main St. Free training and demonstrations will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis. The event is free and open to the public.
Event programs will include valuable safety tips such as personal safety awareness, domestic violence warning signs, weather preparedness, medical emergency warning signs, identity theft and fraud protection, how to recognize a scam, pedestrian and bicyclist safety, demonstrations of RTA’s new comprehensive camera surveillance system, information on the “See Something, Say Something, Do Something” campaign, and more.
As part of “Play It Safe,” participants can sign-up for interactive health emergency and personal safety training through RTA’s Red Cross instructors and partnership with the Dayton Police Department. Officers will provide personal safety awareness training geared toward teaching people to be more observant of their surroundings. Red Cross instructors will also offer health emergency awareness and preparedness training meant to help people identify and assist those suffering from heart attack, stroke, and heat- and cold-related illnesses. These courses are free and will be held in the RTA’s meeting space on the second floor of the Cooper Building at Wright Stop Plaza on the following Friday, Aug. 19.
RTA Safety and Security Manager Gerry Gustin said the agency’s safety event is intended to raise awareness about all matters relating to safety while “giving people with the tools they need to take safety into their own hands.”
“It’s about more than just how people can be more aware while utilizing the RTA. Safety is everyone’s business,” Gustin said. “We interact with thousands of people a day through our transit services. If we arm each of those people with the knowledge of how to be more observant and take precautions to protect themselves from being a victim, then we can improve the safety of this community as a whole. That’s what the RTA is all about-- being a good community partner.”
A valuable “RTA Safety Prize Pack” will be offered at the event. Participants will be asked to visit with and have their passport stamped by at least five partners/vendors at the event to be eligible for the prize pack.
This event is being made possible through RTA’s partnerships with the Artemis Center, Dayton Better Business Bureau, CrimeStoppers, Dayton Police Department, Miami Valley Crime Prevention Association, Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, and ABC 22/Fox 45.
