LE MARS (KCAU 9) — The sound of sirens is common at hospitals like Floyd Valley Healthcare in Le Mars. But those sounds don’t normally come from inside, the otherwise quiet halls of the hospital.
“When you sit in a police car and you push the siren it’s much more fun than hearing a siren behind you,” said Le Mars Police Chief Kevin Vande Vegte.
A new partnership between the hospital and the local police and fire departments is making a trip to the operating room a little more fun for young patients.
With a new set of custom hot wheels, designed and funded by the Le Mars police and fire departments, kids are able to feel what it would be like to drive an emergency vehicle.
“The guys actually wired them up, charged them up, put all the stickers on that basically mimic all the stickers on our fire and police vehicles,” said Le Mars Fire Rescue Chief David Schipper.
But these cars aren’t made for just anyone to ride in. They serve a purpose for kids who are facing emergencies of their own.
“We were really excited about how we could enhance the experience for our pediatric patients that are obviously going through a very difficult time,” said Floyd Valley Healthcare CEO Dustin Wright.
Those cars were created for little ones to drive into surgery, a time that can be scary and even traumatizing for children.
