Fremont County Sheriff’s Office teaches kids to serve and protect at summer camp
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ST. ANTHONY — For the second year in a row, Fremont County Sheriff’s Office is hosting a two week summer youth camp.
Lt. Alvin Winegar, one of the deputies spearheading the camp, tells EastIdahoNews.com the youth camp is an opportunity for local kids to see what law enforcement does and to experience different aspects of the sheriff’s office operations.
“We live in an area where people love law enforcement, but you get out of this area and there are a lot of people who do not like law enforcement. So we decided to be proactive. We wanted to spend time with these kids. We want to teach them (and show them the good things law enforcement does),” Winegar says.
About 18 kids between the ages of 12 and 18 are participating in the camp this year. It began Monday with a tour of the St. Anthony Police Department, the jail, dispatch, DMV, courthouse, the prosecutor’s office and the fire department. After lunch, the kids got a crash course in CPR/First Aid.
After a full day of fitness and SWAT training at the EMS building Tuesday, they spent a full day at the Sand Dunes riding the EMS Sand Rail, the Razor (a UTV) and getting drone instruction. They finished off the week Friday with a day at the shooting range. They have another full week next week.
One day of training that’s particularly memorable for the kids, according to Winegar, is the search and rescue training.
“We go up to Island Park and put on a fake search. We have one of our search and rescue personnel (pretend) they got lost hunting. The kids have no idea. We make it so realistic,” says Winegar. “It’s not until we actually find them that they realize this isn’t real.”
On Wednesday, they’ll spend a day at Island Park Reservoir for water rescue training in boats, jet skis, and kayaks.
“The kids drive the boats. Sixty, eighty thousand dollar boats. We take them out, give them a crash course. We’ll be standing right there by them. We try and cut them loose and have a fun time,” Winegar says.
Winegar started his law enforcement career in Madison County. He says he helped out with a summer camp there for a couple of years, and wanted to implement the same thing when he got a job in Fremont County four years ago.
“I told the sheriff I would help spearhead this and get it started. My only request was that two of the kids allowed in each year be special needs kids,” Winegar says. “When you look at 16, 18 kids and two of them are special needs, it’s a big job. But it’s a ton of fun.”
Lt. Joe Powell and Chief Deputy Thad Garner are involved in coordinating the camp as well.
The camp is open to any kid in the 12 to 18 age group and it’s advertised in schools throughout the year. There is no cost for the kids to participate, but they are required to fill out an application.
The camp receives a lot of support from the community, Winegar says. Some people have written them a check to go towards the camp. Many restaurants provide lunch for free.
“We have a great community. We’ve got a lot of businesses that pitch in and we’ve got a long list of sponsors,” he says.
The last day of camp, Friday, June 28, will end with a graduation ceremony at the EMS building in St. Anthony for the kids and their families.
Winegar says this camp helps the kids realize that law enforcement are people just like they are, but his favorite thing is being able to help the special needs kids get involved.
“It’s hard to find ways to get them involved in stuff. I think people, in general, are scared to get them involved. But we work with them and do everything we can possibly do with them. And it’s things those kids just don’t get to do. So, for me that’s the highlight,” Winegar says.
Visit the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page to learn more about the camp.