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March came in like a lion this year, but luckily
the Chelmsford MSOL Meeting survived any snow!
The meeting was an opportunity for Members to present their areas
of specialty and resources:
Dawn Camara
of the Brain Injury Association of MA was our first presenter.
The programs offered by the agency include Brains at Risk (in
conjunction with the RMV to reinstate your license), Think Ahead
(school-based for smart decision making in sports and driving
behaviors), Falls (senior citizens), Gateway (at-risk students), and
Keys (Keep Every Youth Safe). Dawn
presents the KEYS program to the
Atlantic
Driving
School
and is counted as a one-hour block of the curriculum. The program has
been in effect for 2 years and comes recommended by the RMV.
Currently,
Worcester
County
is on board with most, if not all, of their driving schools using the
presentation. It is an
engaging program that students look forward to participating in.
There is no
Hollywood
excitement – unfortunately it is the harsh reality that so many new
drivers need to see before accepting responsibility of the road.
Currently there are 12
presenters available and there is a $75 fee for the cost of the
presentation. If you have a
driving school in your area and would like to provide the presentation
information to them, please contact Dawn at dcamara@biama.org.
Dick Towle of the Federal Railroad Administration
(Region 1) spoke of the Operation Lifesaver program.
The program is currently being presented to students in various
communities through the schools as well as Jr. Police Academies.
Part of the program includes an active train ride.
The presentation lasts approximately 20 minutes and then the
school/academy has provided for additional entertainment (one community
even re-enacted the Polar Express).
Beyond the Operation Lifesaver program, there are also a number
of resources/videos and educational opportunities to discussion
Trespassing issues in the communities and ways to enforce those safety
aspects. On April 17-18 there will be a FREE Great Crossing Collision Course
offered at the
University
of
New Hampshire
. Also, for Roll Call
Training, Dick is offering a FREE Rail Safety for First Responders
Training. If you are
interested in any of the programs, or need resources, contact Dick at bgrtrainman1@aol.com
or at 617-494-2302.
Tom Mollung from Mollung Associates was available
to advertise some of the products and deals he has for
MSOL Members
. Members are encouraged to
check out his website at www.mollungassociates.com
and as an added bonus – if you
mention that you are an MSPOL Member, Tom will donate 10% of your sale
back to the MSOL! Last
year we collected $500 from his sales!
Ofc
Bernie Schipelliti
, Bob Foulsham, and Mike Crosby are currently on the Governor’s Jr.
Operator License committee and were looking for feedback on the
currently JOL regulations. They
have an upcoming meeting with the Registrar and inquired what the
communities’ feelings were. There
was discussion about paper v. plastic licenses for easy identification
for officers and the actual dates being printed on the licenses.
The
Atlantic
Driving
School
, owned by Retired Officer Bob Foulsham, has a new Seatbelt Convincer!
After being rehabbed and polished up, the school has used it
numerous times with their own students!
The school is now
GENEROUSLY offering the use of the Convincer for FREE to any MSOL Member
who is interested in using it at an event – summer safety camps,
safety fairs, you name it! For
additional information, please contact Bob at atlanticdrivingschool@verizon.net.
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