Emma Pritchard
Grafton PCYC hosted an Emergency Services Day on January 19, allowing Clarence Valley children aged between 5 and 12 the opportunity to meet local firefighters, police officers, and members of the NSW Rural Fire Service (NSWRFS), and learn about their varying roles within the community.
“It’s extremely important for kids to be comfortable around emergency services personnel, and to understand the differences between them and the many jobs they do to help keep everyone safe,” said Mark Irwin, Grafton PCYC Club Manager.
“The kids had a great time, and they were very excited to get up close to the fire trucks and a highway patrol vehicle.
“They asked a lot of questions about firefighting equipment and how fast the highway patrol vehicle went, and it was great to see them familiarise themselves with emergency services personnel.”
Grafton Fire and Rescue 306 Station Deputy Captain, Chris Rumpf said school activities like the Emergency Services Day provide valuable learning resources.
“It can sometimes be a bit daunting for kids to see people in uniform, especially firefighters wearing protective clothing and masks, so to be able to educate them about what we do, show them we’re here to look after them, and that we’ve all got friendly faces, it helps them become familiar with us and to not feel scared,” he said.
“We spoke to the kids about fire safety and handed out a bunch of activity books, and they all had a turn using the firefighting hose.
“We also taught them the differences between a fire truck and an RFS truck, and the roles of Fire and Rescue NSW crews and RFS crews.
“Fire and Rescue NSW crews predominantly focus on urban areas, and we have more specialised equipment which enables us to fight house fires and access water from town mains, whereas RFS crews mainly operate outside town boundaries.
“Their focus is rural protection, mainly against bushfires, and they are better equipped to access water from dams, creeks, or swimming pools.
“It was great to spend time with the kids, answer their questions, and help them become familiar with us.”
Mr Irwin said it was fantastic to welcome local firefighters, police officers, and NSW RFS members to the Emergency Services Day at the Grafton PCYC and confirmed similar events will be planned for future dates.