Police and Fire Service Day was a huge success this past Saturday and brought out hundreds of people from the community to enjoy the event that took place at the Police and Fire Headquarters.
On May 13th, from 9:00 am-2:00 pm, the Burbank Fire Department (BFD) and Burbank Police Department (BPD) worked together to put on their annual Police and Fire Service Day event. Emergency service vehicles were out on display, along with demonstrations, community exhibitors, food, obstacle courses, games, and more.
Disney VoluntEARS helped at the Burbank Fire Department Membership Program booth, where they passed out pink and red plastic firefighter helmets to kids along with red balloons. Lil’ Squirt, the BFD’s mascot elephant, took pictures with families in front of the antique fire engine, while Pluggie, a robotic fire hydrant with blinking eyes, roamed around the inside of Station 11. Fire Inspector Karina Wakefield controlled Pluggie from behind a glass window and used a microphone to interact with kids at the event.
myBurbank also had a booth inside the station where we took our myBurbank Talks podcast on the road and interviewed guests at the event, including Senator Anthony Portantino, Burbank Police Chief Michael Albanese, Battalion Chief and Fire Marshall Dave Burke, Burbank Firefighters Local #778 President Eric Rowley, and many more. Click here to listen to the podcast episode!
Captain Eric Rowley also headed and prepared the barbecue food sold at the Burbank Firefighters Local #778 booth. All the money raised from the event will be going to help restore and maintain Burbank’s antique fire engines.
Tours of the station were held throughout the event to share an inside look into the lives of our Burbank firefighters. 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 the vehicle so that there is access to assist the patient. Firefighter Nick Barthe participated in the extraction demonstrations and then climbed a 100-foot ladder off a firetruck, where he sent off a paper airline into the sky for the crowd.
The fire department obstacle course has always been a big hit at their annual event and didn’t disappoint this year. Families lined up for over 30 minutes so their kids could try their hand at being a firefighter. During the obstacle course, kids tightened a hose onto a hydrant, used water from the hose to knock out fake fires in a building, hammered a roof, and then finished by rolling up the hose. At the end of the course, they received a medal necklace to wear and take home.
The BPD, who worked with BFD to plan the event, was set up outside in the headquarters parking lot with their SWAT truck, antique car, motorcycles, and more. Motor officers demonstrated how they maneuver through tight areas by strategically swerving and circling through orange cones in front of spectators.
The Burbank Animal Shelter brought dogs for adoption to meet the community, and Burbank Parks and Rec set up a pop-up skate park for kids to drop in to ride their skateboards or scooters.
The annual event was a huge success and brought more people out than ever before. Click here to see a video of the event.
