Burbank’s Police and Fire Service Day has grown into a huge community event, bringing hundreds of people out to learn and engage with our first responders and other local organizations.
The event is held each year on the Saturday before Mother’s Day, and kicks off National Police Week. The Police and Fire Headquarters on North Third Street becomes the hub for the free event, utilizing the Fire station’s apparatus floor and the entire parking lot.
Emergency service vehicles were out on display including aerial firetrucks, fire engines, the police helicopter, BearCat, police motorcycles, Hazmat fire truck, the Airport Authority vehicle and much more. The event also included demonstrations, community exhibitors, food, obstacle courses, games, and more.
Disney VoluntEARS helped the Burbank Fire Department booth, where they passed out pink and red plastic firefighter helmets to kids along with red balloons. Mickey and Minnie Mouse attended and took pictures with families in front of the antique fire engine.
Every year the Burbank Firefighters Local #778 booth serves up delicious BBQ sandwiches and this year they did not disappoint. Tours of the station were held throughout the event to share an inside look into the lives of our Burbank firefighters and Sidewalk CPR demonstrations used mats and mannequins to train event attendees on how to perform life-saving chest compressions in case of an emergency.
Station 11 firefighters also held demonstrations throughout the event to showcase their “Jaws of Life” equipment and how a victim would be extracted from a vehicle. They demonstrated how they break the glass of all the windows to the car and pinch and spread the doors and roof off of the vehicle so that they can access and assist the victim.
The fire department obstacle course is a family favorite with kids lining up all throughout the day to see what it’s like to be a first responder. During the obstacle course kids used water from the hose to knock out fake fires in a building, hammered a roof, and then carried a rolled up hose across the finish line where they received a medallion.
The Burbank Police Department was set up outside in the headquarters parking lot with their booths and emergency vehicles. BPD Chief Michael Albanese walked around the event, chatting with attendees and taking pictures with kids in front of the antique police car.
The Burbank Animal Shelter brought dogs and kittens out for adoption to meet the community, and Burbank Parks and Rec set up a inflatable sports games. Burbank Army Careers had a booth and vehicle on display, and printed out custom dog tag necklaces for kids with their names on it. The Burbank Marine Corps Career Office also had a booth and challenged kids to test their strength on the pull up bar.
The annual event was a huge success and brought more people out than ever before. Click here to see a video of the event.
Photos By: Ross A Benson & Austin Gebhardt
