I have a challenge for you.

Find your favorite song and have a 30-second dance party.

Seriously, right now.

I’ll be here when you are done.

Did you do it?

Okay, I trust you. Now that we have settled that, let’s talk about something really surprising and entertaining that happened today in Person County. Overall I had a great day. I had a ride-along with animal control, did some research on solar projects, and attended a couple of meetings. The highlight of the day was a safety committee variety show.

Stop, In the Name of Safety — The Safety Supremes

Rebecca Morrow is the Person County Safety Officer. In this role, Rebecca ensures that Person County remains a safe place to work and that individuals and departments follow relevant safety procedures. Rebecca also organizes the safety committee, which has members visit different departments and work spaces to ensure that appropriate safety procedures are being followed.

Now, about the variety show. I didn’t know much about the show before I went, but Assistant County Sybil Tate told me it was a must-see event. The show took place at the Kirby Arts Theater– a facility owned and operated by the Person County Parks and Recreation Department.

The show was mc’d by Captain Kevin Crabtree. Capt. Crabtree kept the show moving with some anecdotes about his experience and the importance of safety. The best one involved him trying to stop a Ford Verona from crashing into his step-father’s new Oldsmobile 88.

Capt. Crabtree decided the best plan was to hold onto the car, which ended with him being drug down a gravel driveway and left him with little but his underwear intact. The lesson from this anecdote: always make sure your equipment is in good condition.

The rest of the show was filled with skits and song covers– “Stop in the Name of Love” became “Stop in the Name of Safety” and “What Does the Fox Say” became “What Does Rebecca Say”.

“Stop in the name of safety, before you break your arm”

Flo helping us understand common safety mistakes

The show was also interspersed with County Manager Heidi York struggling to find the appropriate Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) to mow the lawn.

The lesson was simple: safety is everyone’s responsibility. As a new member of the community, it was awesome to see everyone take a positive risk to sing, dance, and act their way through the six skits in order to remind everyone about the important of safety in our jobs whether it be bending your knees to pick up a heavy box, wearing proper PPE, or following the correct procedures during fire/tornado/lockdown drills.

Most of us are familiar with the boring safety videos (or slides) that new employees have to watch before starting a new job. Rebecca and the safety committee found a great way of switching things up and keeping things interesting. This was also a great lesson for thinking differently about how to share information or deliver a training session.

Also, you are probably wondering why I wanted you to have a 30-second dance party. First, I had “Safety Dance” stuck in my head so I wanted to inspire dancing. Second, I watched a lot of people from the county manager on down take a positive risk and do something they may not be completely comfortable with (singing cover songs in front of a crowd of people, acting through various skits, etc). I figured you as the reader deserved to have a little fun too.