Steve Mills spent his career on the railroad. For 30 years, he worked on locomotives in the mechanical department. Then he moved into field safety support.
And though he’s retired, the former manager for BNSF Railway still finds a way to share his unique knowledge with Lewis County residents.
Every year, in fact.
Last week, Mills spent his time at Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers in Chehalis for Safety City, an area tradition benefiting Lewis County elementary students annually since 1984.
To visualize Safety City, imagine an ambling tour through a miniature town, filled with educational stops along the way. Here, students learn about calling 911 from Lewis County 911 Communications, electric safety from Lewis County Public Utility District (PUD), water safety from local fire departments, and railroad crossing from Mills, who’s volunteered for decades.
“It's just trying to keep them safe,” Mills said. “Because a lot of kids, they figure that, ‘Oh, well, it's okay, I can outrun the train, you know?’ And so, we just try to get them to stay back.”
Mills said approximately 20 people die each year trespassing on the state’s railroads.
“Trespassing is a major issue,” he added. “So we try to just instill in them: Stay back. It's a dangerous place to be.”
The PUD display is another favorite among the students, who watch, rapt, as a small figurine finds out the hard way what happens when you mess around with electricity.
You get zapped.
This year, 810 students attended the five-day event, according to Washington State Patrol (WSP) Trooper Dakota J. Russell, the agency’s public information officer for the region.
Russell — who’s been involved with Safety City for seven years — enjoys leading students through the miniature town’s five learning stations.
“We'll take a group of kids through Safety City, and we stop and we talk about the police station, the fire department… or what street signs mean,” Russell told The Chronicle on Jan. 28.
During their walk, students take a break to gather around and read from a safety-related book such as “How Do Dinosaurs Stay Safe?” by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague.
Safety City is the result of county-wide collaboration from over a dozen agencies including the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office, Chehalis Police Department, Centralia Police Department, Winlock Police Department, Napavine Police Department, Boistfort Fire Department, Riverside Fire Authority, Lewis County Fire District 5, Lewis County Fire District 6, Morton Fire Department, Winlock Fire Department, Toledo Fire Department and Pe Ell Fire Department.
Others assist behind the scenes, too, Russell said, such as Rachelle Nugent, area representative for Target Zero, the state Traffic Safety Commission’s program to reduce Washington’s traffic-related deaths and serious injuries.
Russell has been with the WSP for nine years. He said Safety City is one of his favorite events of the year because it both focuses on local students and gives law enforcement and fire department personnel “a chance to give back” to the communities they serve.
Russell’s connection to Safety City is also personal. He graduated from Pe Ell in 2014.
The trooper said he hopes to be a part of the event for many years to come.
Like Mills, who’s imparted his knowledge to generations of Lewis County students, some of whom have come back years later to walk the winding educational maze again — as parents.
“It's something to instill in the kids,” Mills said. “The officers, they aren't scary. You can talk to them… And just identify, where's the safe place to go? You can go to the hospital, the fire department (and see) what buildings would be safe for you.”
According to Russell, Safety City welcomes elementary students from the following schools: Adna, Boistfort, Centralia Christian, Evaline, Jefferson-Lincoln, Lewis County Adventist, James W. Lintott, Morton, Mossyrock, Napavine, Oakview, Onalaska, Pe Ell, St. Joseph, Toledo, White Pass and Winlock.
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