With admonitions not to touch anything in the emergency vehicles, approximately 40 local 7th and 8th graders experienced the behind-the-scenes work that keeps the community running.
This the 13th year for the Youth Academy classes, a one day class held in conjunction with the City of Great Bend. Over the years, there have been 1,180 participants.
“It’s a pleasure to see the kids get to know more about the community,” said Howard Partington, city administrator, of the snapshot of city works. It was Partington’s idea to start the academy.
An entourage of city vehicles, including an ambulance, fire truck, SWAT truck and patrol cars made its way around the city, beginning at City Hall. The students were told by the Liaison Officer, Jefferson Davis, that they may have to exit the vehicles if an emergency occurred.
“The emergency vehicles may need to be used for a fire,” Davis said.
The first stop was at the municipal waste water treatment plant where the students learned that Great Bend and the airport use nearly 1.25 million gallons of water per day. They saw the settling tanks and learned about the process used in purifying the water.
Waste Water Superintendent Charlie Suchy told them that water exits the plant into the Arkansas River cleaner than the water already in the river.
Holding up a jar of purified water, however,  he did refuse to drink it.
The plant is capable of processing 3.6 million gallons of waste water per day.
The group travelled on to the street department where the kids went up in  a bucket truck, drove a front loader, and ran as fast as they could toward the radar sign.
Sean Clark, who will be a 7th grader, said he thought operating a front loader was easy.
“It was fun,” said Clark.
According to the officers, the fastest runner ever recorded by a 7th or 8th grader is 15 mph.
After a visit to the zoo, Chester, the Belgian malinois K-9, performed a demonstration of a narcotics search with Officer Brian Dougherty.
“He’s not a normal pet,” said Dougherty. “He doesn’t go in the house. He doesn’t go around kids.”
The dog cost $8,500 and had no training when the department got him. Chester and Dougherty spent 10 weeks in training.
Dougherty explained the malinois breed has a strong desire to work and will actually work himself to death.
The day also involved other displays by the police department and fire department, meetings with the mayor and city administrator and some good eating.
“We try to find ways to get youth more involved,” said Partington. They also would like the youth to see that city employees are approachable.
The next academy will be July 20.