Warden Wire: Wardens cross cultures, ages to talk safety
Wardens teach safety, cultural awareness at Hmong Mini Academy
DNR Water Guard and Diversity Outreach Coordinator Ka Yeng Vue and fellow instructor Roger Moua spent February 9 talking safety and culture at the Hmong Mini Academy in Appleton. With the help of Ka Yeng, the DNR has certified 18 Hmong hunter safety instructors in the state. DNR Recreational Safety Warden Jeremy Cords says better trained hunters equal safer experiences for all. Cords says of the 15 who attended Saturday, 3 came from Milwaukee, 3 from La Crosse and 1 from Madison. The rest were from the Fox Valley. Four coaches who also assisted at the training were local Hmong Hunter Education Instructors, including Ka Yeng.
Warden’s safety message always popular – especially when it comes with a perk
The only thing Recruit Warden Ryan Caputo wanted was a single correct answer. That was part of the safety deal few kids could refuse.
Caputo was on a safety mission when he joined Conservation Warden Andy Lundin at the Bureau of Law Enforcement booth at the Bellin Health Superbowl of Safety at – of course – Lambeau Field Atrium in Green Bay on January 26.
“We were there to stress the importance of wearing a helmet when riding an all-terrain vehicle,” Caputo says of the message he presented to group after group of kids who appeared at the wardens’ booth during the four-hour event.
The wardens were among the law enforcement agencies that manned a number of stations at this annual event sponsored by Bellin Health of Green Bay. Each agency was there to teach a specific safety message to the kids. For the State Patrol, for example, it was seat belts. For the U.S. Coast Guard, it was wearing a life vest every time you’re in a boat.
Caputo says the kids had to answer the safety question at each station to get their safety card completed. For the wardens, the question was: What is the most important piece of safety equipment when riding an ATV or a snowmobile? “Some kids got it. Others needed some prodding,” Caputo says. Some answered the seat belt – no doubt a carryover from their visit to the State Patrol booth. But Caputo worked with the guesses to eventually get the right answer from the group.
And the reward for the right answer? A chance to sit on the wardens’ ATV and flip the little switch to turn on the emergency lights. Pretty cool for the kids who ranged in ages 2 to 14.
What about Caputo’s reward for a job well-done that left him with nearly no voice? A chance to have his photo on the famed Lambeau Field, of course. Who said being a recruit doesn’t have its perks.