Independence Naational Historical Park (Week of Aug 1st)

As the weeks wind down here at Independence National Historical Park we have been working primarily with the law enforcement rangers in the park. We got a bit of a taste earlier in the summer, but not to this extent. We have been going on routine foot patrols with various rangers and ensuring that all areas of the park are safe for visitors and local residents alike. Being in the center of a large city, the LE rangers at Independence have to deal with a lot of the same issues that the local city police have to deal with, while also performing their various duties for the park. One of those tasks for the park that we were able to help with was the collection and deposit of the donations.

Along with Ranger Vauls, we aided in the transportation and counting of several thousand dollars in coins that were donated to The Friends Of Independence National Historical Park over the last few months.

Then, we were able to help the Safety Officer here at the park to compile, organize and distribute the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for all the chemicals that are used within the park. These forms contain all the information that is needed for the safe storage and handling of the chemicals, as well as instructions on what to do should there be an accident involving the chemicals. The MSDS sheets are key to operating any park safely.

As the week went on, we were able to shadow some of the law enforcement rangers as they were called to handle several less-than-willing individuals in the park. We were able to see firsthand the physical tactics that these rangers learn throughout their career. The way they were able to stabilize an escalationg situation so smoothly and with relative ease really says alot about the training that we will be receiving.