The Back to School Safety Fair include the “Cram the Cruiser” school supply drive.

The Back to School Safety Fair, where families can meet with first responders and learn about public safety resources in Douglas County, will return next month for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The safety fair is from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Aug. 5 at South Park, 1141 Massachusetts St. It’s co-hosted by the Lawrence Police Department, Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Lawrence Parks and Recreation and Douglas County Emergency Management. Several other community agencies are scheduled to attend and offer information about safety and health.

“Each time an event returns after the pandemic, it’s a reminder of the importance of doing things together as a community,” Sheriff Jay Armbrister said.

“… We look forward to being able to meet community members and answer any questions they have about public safety resources in the community and talk to them about the work we do every day.”

At the fair, expect to see a variety of services and activities for families. Law enforcement agencies will have technicians on hand to check children’s car seats, Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health will have its mobile unit on site to provide information and Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical will offer fire safety tips and give away bike helmets.

Agencies will also have vehicles on site for kids to see up close, including the sheriff’s office’s underwater search and recovery boat, and the fire medical department plans to have its smoke trailer at the fair.

“We’re excited to participate in this safety fair,” said Fire Chief Rich Llewellyn of Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical. “For us, the best accidents are the ones that we prevent, and we’d much rather interact with our community at a fun event like this.”

Additional participants and activities will be announced closer to the fair’s date.

School supply drive

As in past years, the fair will also include the “Cram the Cruiser” school supply drive. Lawrence police, the fire medical department and the sheriff’s office will each bring an SUV to fill with school supply donations, which will benefit area students. Donors can bring supplies to the fair and “vote” for which agency they want to win the contest by putting their donations in that agency’s SUV.

— Kade Han is the social media and digital communications specialist at LMH Health, which is a major sponsor of the Journal-World’s Health section.