Ponoka residents will be able to step inside the tape and get up close and personal with emergency services personnel.
The fourth annual Emergency Services Day will feature demonstrations from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 6 in the arena complex parking lot. The event is hosted by the Ponoka Emergency Tri-Services Society. Presentations are expected from the Ponoka Fire Department, Ponoka RCMP, Guardian Ambulance, Alberta Sheriffs, Red Deer Search and Rescue, RCMP explosives unit, RCMP K9 unit and Canadian Forces Military Police.
Those who attend the presentations should keep an eye skyward as the STARS air ambulance is expected to make a visit.
“It gives an opportunity to the public to speak to us and to see us and our equipment and to understand what we do — without it being an emergency situation,” explained Donna Noble, fire prevention co-ordinator.
Children can be frightened by the scary sight of a firefighter coming into a smoke-filled room, decked out in bunker gear and oxygen mask. Noble says this is a chance for youngsters to meet firefighters face to face, to see their gear and to understand that emergency personnel are coming to help them and their family.
“If an emergency does happen, they’re not going to seem so scary.”
Noble said Emergency Services Day is also an opportunity for people considering a career in any of the emergency disciplines to talk to the representatives in attendance. “They would be more than happy to point you in the right direction.”
Ponoka Scouts will conduct a bicycle safety rodeo in conjunction with the event.