Safety First—But Fun Not Far Behind at Belmar Event

Despite it being a good beach day, families still descended upon Dempsey Park in Belmar Sunday for the first Belmar Safety Day.

The event was sponsored by the Belmar and Lake Como police departments, and sparked by Belmar Patrolwoman Tina Scott.

“I got a flier in the mail from a bicycle helmet business (that) was just going to do bicycles, and we decided to cover all aspects of safety for children,” she said. “There’s never been a Safety Day here in Belmar.”

Safety-related activities included demonstrations as well as a bicycle safety check and course. The estimated 300 parents and children who attended also enjoyed free bicycle helmets for kids purchased with donations from Belmar businesses, as well as free drinks, popcorn and other snacks. Children were even allowed to check out the interior of a Lake Como police cruiser and test its sirens.

“I hope that every year we can do this as long as we get the funding.  Everything here today was funded by Belmar businesses,” Scott said.

“It’s great – safety for the kids is always great,” said Christy Kolodziejski of Spring Lake, as her sons explored the police cruiser.

Lake Como Police Department Patrolman Philip Bohrman said Safety Day will become an annual mainstay in the area.

“This is the first time we’ve done this.  We had a good turnout.  Obviously, we want to make it bigger next year — the first year is trial and error.  The kids seemed to have a good time,” he noted.

Among the children wowed by the demonstrations was McKinley Crowe, 2, of Belmar, who stood patiently while being fitted for her safety helmet.

“We got here a little late, and we did learn something about the fire equipment.  This is a great idea for kids,” said her father, Sean Crowe.

Gene Scholz of Lake Como said Safety Day was an “excellent idea. We had a decent turnout. It’s a good thing for public awareness for summer safety.”

Scholz, a member of Belmar Water Rescue Team, volunteered to help man the team’s area at the event.

Belmar Police Department Chief Tom Palmisano, Scott’s superior, had nothing but praise for Patrolwoman Scott, stating “Tina does an excellent job. She’s all for the kids and is our School Resource Officer. She orchestrated the event. It’s something she wanted to do to bring safety awareness to the kids and the parents. We spoke to the children, and they had a great day.”