Towamensing Elementary students took a trip to “Safety Town” on Monday, courtesy of Lehigh Valley Health Network.

LVHN Trauma Prevention Coordinator Bill McQuilken said the portable, interactive town was developed in 2006 to show students different ways they can help prevent pediatric trauma.

“We have 12 stations and we take the students through some of the things we see that are the most traumatic to come in to our network,” McQuilken said.

Classes, ranging from Pre-K to second grade, visited the Towamensing gymnasium one by one to travel through stations including seat belt/car seat safety, bus safety, how to dial 911, how to deal with strangers, pedestrian safety, bike safety, preventing burns and lawn mower safety.

“We show them how tall they need to be before they don’t need a booster seat, the proper way to cross a street, proper way to wear a bike helmet, things like that,” McQuilken said.

A phone was set up to show students a simulated 911 call so they could get a sense for questions the operator might ask should a real scenario arise.

“We’ve been having the LVHN Safety Town program come every other year for the last several years,” Towamensing guidance counselor Jodi Kocher said. “I think all the stations are important, but I’m really glad the kids get to hear a reinforcement of using booster seats and crossing the streets safely. They also reinforce stranger danger, which we teach them here, but it’s always good to have that extra reminder.”