5K Run Fundraiser
The Naperville Fire Department and Naperville Professional Firefighters for a Cause partnered up to host the Stop, Drop, and Run 5K Run.
This is the second year they put on the event to help raise money for the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance’s Camp – “I am Me.”
The week-long camp is for children and young teenagers who have experienced burn injuries.
“What we do is provide a safe environment for them where they can build their self-esteem, provide them a sense of community so they can be with other individuals that share some similarities,” said board member of the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance Dennis Bryar.
“To be able to help provide that week where they’re able to go and have that experience and feel that kind of relief, it’s just exceptional for us to be a part of that,” said Philip Giannattasio, Bureau Chief of the Naperville Fire Department Support Services.
Public Safety Open House
After crossing that finish line, runners and the community attended the Public Safety Open House.
The Naperville Fire and Police Department have hosted the event for over 20 years, to teach the public how they can stay safe.
“The start of that is education. It starts with the little children, the adolescence and the teenagers, and finally gets to the adults,” said Fire Chief Mark Pucknitis. “And when we collaborate that with the entire community, you have a really safe way of living in the Naperville community. This public safety open house helps us to achieve that goal.”
Attendees were able to learn about safety precautions to take when using electricity, create free ID’s for children, and view demonstrations.
Fire Safety Demonstration
One demonstration was a simulation of two rooms catching on fire.
The first room doesn’t have sprinklers, which causes the fire to spread quickly. The other does have sprinklers, which helps control the fire until firefighters can reach it.
The fire demo wowed the crowd but hopefully left an important message of public safety behind.
Naperville News 17’s Aysha Ashley Househ reports.
