OWASCO - Draped in a dirty yellow firefighter's jacket and adorned with a red Owasco Fire Department helmet, Camp Columbus camper Andrew Rainess of Auburn grabbed hold of the fire hose from a visiting Owasco fire truck and sprayed water on about 20 campers anxiously awaiting a squirt.
Cleen Hoselton / Special to The Citizen
Michael Galloway, of Auburn, proves he has the right stuff when it comes to cooling off on a very hot day at Camp Columbus. Giving Galloway “equipment training” is Owasco Volunteer Fireman Tom Notaorpole.
Michael Galloway, of Auburn, proves he has the right stuff when it comes to cooling off on a very hot day at Camp Columbus. Giving Galloway “equipment training” is Owasco Volunteer Fireman Tom Notaorpole.
“I got to spray everyone,” he said.
The sounds of laughter and screams of enjoyment echoed around the camp as campers took turns holding the hose and running in and out of the water.
“I had fun,” said camper Leann Johnson of Auburn. “I got wet and played.”
“I am so excited to be sprayed by the water,” said camper Alexa Cowles of Waterloo.
Last week was Safety Week at Camp Columbus, a camp geared for special needs children and adults. During the week, counselors and staff reinforced the importance of safety and what to do in case of an emergency by engaging the campers in safety-themed activities, according to camp director Pat Ryder. They made fire trucks, safety hats and phone books with important numbers in arts and crafts, and developed themed sports, dance and music activities and stressed the importance of hydration, sunscreen and where to go and who to talk to if campers got hurt. The camp also invited law enforcement.
On Friday, the camp presented Safety Day, which starred a fire truck and rescue boat from the Owasco Fire Department and a rescue boat from the Cayuga County Sheriff's Office.
“When the sheriffs and other departments come out, they share what they do for the community,” said Mark Covich, coordinator of recreation services for the Seneca
Cayuga ATC, “and in turn the campers can bring the information back to their families and residences.”
“We think it's really important to teach them safety,” said Cassy Weir of Union Springs, who is the arts and crafts specialist for the camp. “Depending on where they live, they might not know (information on safety). It gives them exposure.”
Safety Day also allowed campers to see firefighters and realize that they are there to help.
“We are here to let them know that firemen are not people to be afraid of,” said Owasco firefighter Kevin Head. “We are here to help.”
“They see the truck, and they know what to watch for if there is an emergency,” added Lorrie Gleason, an Owasco EMT whose husband, Charlie Gleason, is a fire chief for the department and participated in Safety Day. “They see what the firemen look like so they are not afraid.”
But instructing campers on the importance of safety was only one part of the day.
“The day is about safety, but it is also fun,” Ryder said. “It's just the fact that they can be with their friends and expand the relationships they have with each other.”
And that is exactly what camper Dylan Belcher of Waterloo was looking forward to.
“We get to meet new people, and it's just fun,” he said.
“They look forward to the water and the boat ride,” Gleason said. “It's like their own local water park.”
Campers were given tours of the fire truck, a chance to put on the fire gear and a few minutes using the fire hose.The firefighter's jacket was heavy, Rainess said, but that didn't matter.
“I want to wear it again,” he said with excitement.
The camp began in 1933 as a Catholic Camp affiliated with St. Alphonsus Church in Auburn, according to Ryder. In the late 1960s, the Comprehensive Training Center - later known as the Cayuga County Chapter of the Association for Retarded Children - purchased the camp for special needs individuals - both children and adults - affected by a variety of developmental disabilities or disorders including Downs Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy and Autism among others. In the late 1990s, the Cayuga ARC - then known as the Association for Retarded Citizens - blended with Seneca County's chapter, becoming the Cayuga Seneca ARC.
The camp has been celebrating Safety Week since the 1970s. But back then only the fire truck would come. In the last 30 some years the camp has enhanced its program, Ryder said. The Auburn Police Department's canine unit, under the supervision of Mark LoCastro, has visited the camp, as did an ambulance with the Owasco Fire Department. Last year, the camp added a rescue boat with the Cayuga County Sheriffs Office, offering boat rides to each and every camper. This year both the Owasco Fire Department and the sheriff's office came with rescue boats.
“Not all of our problems or accidents happen on land, especially in our area with the lakes,” Ryder said. “This shows them that there are other people than policemen to help.”
Five campers piled into the fire department's rescue boat for a cruise around Owasco Lake.
Michael Galloway of Waterloo turned to look at the camp's dock as the boat sped farther away.
“There's our place,” he said, and a large smile emerged on his face.
Staff writer Alyssa Sunkin can be reached at alyssa.sunkin@lee.net or 253-5311 ext. 239
The sounds of laughter and screams of enjoyment echoed around the camp as campers took turns holding the hose and running in and out of the water.
“I had fun,” said camper Leann Johnson of Auburn. “I got wet and played.”
“I am so excited to be sprayed by the water,” said camper Alexa Cowles of Waterloo.
Last week was Safety Week at Camp Columbus, a camp geared for special needs children and adults. During the week, counselors and staff reinforced the importance of safety and what to do in case of an emergency by engaging the campers in safety-themed activities, according to camp director Pat Ryder. They made fire trucks, safety hats and phone books with important numbers in arts and crafts, and developed themed sports, dance and music activities and stressed the importance of hydration, sunscreen and where to go and who to talk to if campers got hurt. The camp also invited law enforcement.
On Friday, the camp presented Safety Day, which starred a fire truck and rescue boat from the Owasco Fire Department and a rescue boat from the Cayuga County Sheriff's Office.
“When the sheriffs and other departments come out, they share what they do for the community,” said Mark Covich, coordinator of recreation services for the Seneca
Cayuga ATC, “and in turn the campers can bring the information back to their families and residences.”
“We think it's really important to teach them safety,” said Cassy Weir of Union Springs, who is the arts and crafts specialist for the camp. “Depending on where they live, they might not know (information on safety). It gives them exposure.”
Safety Day also allowed campers to see firefighters and realize that they are there to help.
“We are here to let them know that firemen are not people to be afraid of,” said Owasco firefighter Kevin Head. “We are here to help.”
“They see the truck, and they know what to watch for if there is an emergency,” added Lorrie Gleason, an Owasco EMT whose husband, Charlie Gleason, is a fire chief for the department and participated in Safety Day. “They see what the firemen look like so they are not afraid.”
But instructing campers on the importance of safety was only one part of the day.
“The day is about safety, but it is also fun,” Ryder said. “It's just the fact that they can be with their friends and expand the relationships they have with each other.”
And that is exactly what camper Dylan Belcher of Waterloo was looking forward to.
“We get to meet new people, and it's just fun,” he said.
“They look forward to the water and the boat ride,” Gleason said. “It's like their own local water park.”
Campers were given tours of the fire truck, a chance to put on the fire gear and a few minutes using the fire hose.The firefighter's jacket was heavy, Rainess said, but that didn't matter.
“I want to wear it again,” he said with excitement.
The camp began in 1933 as a Catholic Camp affiliated with St. Alphonsus Church in Auburn, according to Ryder. In the late 1960s, the Comprehensive Training Center - later known as the Cayuga County Chapter of the Association for Retarded Children - purchased the camp for special needs individuals - both children and adults - affected by a variety of developmental disabilities or disorders including Downs Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy and Autism among others. In the late 1990s, the Cayuga ARC - then known as the Association for Retarded Citizens - blended with Seneca County's chapter, becoming the Cayuga Seneca ARC.
The camp has been celebrating Safety Week since the 1970s. But back then only the fire truck would come. In the last 30 some years the camp has enhanced its program, Ryder said. The Auburn Police Department's canine unit, under the supervision of Mark LoCastro, has visited the camp, as did an ambulance with the Owasco Fire Department. Last year, the camp added a rescue boat with the Cayuga County Sheriffs Office, offering boat rides to each and every camper. This year both the Owasco Fire Department and the sheriff's office came with rescue boats.
“Not all of our problems or accidents happen on land, especially in our area with the lakes,” Ryder said. “This shows them that there are other people than policemen to help.”
Five campers piled into the fire department's rescue boat for a cruise around Owasco Lake.
Michael Galloway of Waterloo turned to look at the camp's dock as the boat sped farther away.
“There's our place,” he said, and a large smile emerged on his face.
Staff writer Alyssa Sunkin can be reached at alyssa.sunkin@lee.net or 253-5311 ext. 239
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