Safety Service Fair educates kids on keeping their community safe

by Adriana Gasiewski

Children’s laughter and the blaring of horns filled the air in the parking lot of the Brecksville Horticulture Garage Oct. 4 as fire trucks, police cars and excavators were on display at the annual Brecksville Safety Service Fair.

To expose children to the police and fire departments, the city invited families to explore the inside of the city’s safety vehicles and have conversations with law enforcement.

“We want them to feel safe with police and fire and see all the different things that go on in their community,” said Kristen Cole, Brecksville Service Department administrator, noting that the city partnered with Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council and the Ohio Turnpike Commission to keep children engaged with new educational opportunities.

The Ohio Turnpike Commission brought along its new semi-truck, adding to the lineup of vehicles children were able to explore, both inside and out.

“This is a great event that the service department works hard to put on, and we couldn’t do it without our police, fire, Valley Ford [Truck]. They are a sponsor and NOPEC is a sponsor and we couldn’t do it without them,” Cole said.

Other staples, such as the Brecksville Safety Town train, appearances from the Paw Patrol pups and a plow children could decorate returned for this year’s fair. The 100-plus guests in attendance also had the opportunity to see how a police drone operates, talk to Brecksville Animal Control and enter the fire department’s Safety House, which teaches kids how to evacuate a house during a fire.

Alecia Wodzisz of Richfield attended with her children, Connor and Colette, as she enjoys the community events Brecksville hosts.

“Connor absolutely loves trucks,” she said. “He loves cars, trucks, tractors – anything with wheels. We were driving to the playground one day and saw the sign and figured it was something great to do on a Sunday morning.”

Because it’s an annual tradition in Allison Smith’s house, she and her two children, Amelia and Avery, returned for their third year.

“We always just have a really good time between the train and all the machines and [the] Paw Patrol [characters are] a nice addition this year,” she said.

Besides the attractions, the opportunity to familiarize her children with safety services also keeps the Smiths coming back for more.

“In case there’s ever an emergency, [I want] them to be really familiar with it and just not something that they’re scared of,” Smith said.