On Saturday, the Naperville Police and Fire Departments came together to put on their annual public safety open house at Naperville’s Public Safety Campus on Aurora Avenue.
The event offered a chance for the public to learn more about the departments by interacting with vehicles, equipment, and first responders themselves. It also included live demonstrations by both departments.
Demonstrations
“We just finished our water rescue demonstration, showing what our water rescue team does in the event that somebody is trapped under water, either with a car or by themselves. We’re going to have a burn demonstration that shows the power of sprinklers. We’re going to have a room that we set up that we burn down without a sprinkler and another one that goes out with a sprinkler. Along with that, we’re going to have a helicopter that lands today,” said Naperville Fire Chief Mark Puknaitis.
A taser demonstration, drone lift-off, and an example of work done by the department’s K-9 crew were also part of the day’s events.
Getting this behind the scenes look isn’t just fun; it’s also key to strengthening safety in the community.
The Reason Behind The Event
“I think it’s very important because number one, it gives people an idea of everything that we do. But it also gives them a reason of why we do it. Not just how we do these things, but why do we do that. And we focus on prevention. We focus on fire prevention. One of the reasons why Naperville is so safe is because we have programs like this,” said Puknaitis.
According to Puknaitis the event has been going on for almost 20 years and it wouldn’t be possible without both departments’ involvement.
“We collaborate so well between us and the police department that it sends a strong message to everybody. And I think it’s one of the main reasons why we say Naperville is one of the safest communities to live in,” said Naperville Fire Chief Mark Puknaitis.
Naperville News 17’s Anthony Yench reports.
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