Forest View fire department, park district bring ambulance to kids

Firefighter/Paramedic Katie Hamersly read to children about a boy who fell at the jungle gym and rode an ambulance to the hospital. Then she showed them how.

On Thursday afternoon at Forest View Park, Hamersly and her colleagues from the Forest View Fire Department opened their ambulance to neighborhood kids, letting them check blood pressure, practice stretcher lifts, and wrap a mock injury. They heard the sirens. They saw the lights. One lucky child won a toy ambulance in a raffle and they all ate popsicles.

The event, called Paramedics In The Park, was designed to demystify emergency response for children who might otherwise fear an ambulance.

“It’s important for the kids to come out and see this and become familiar with our equipment,” Fire Chief Mark Stewart said. “That way, they know what the fire department does, and that we are there to help them—not have them be scared of us.”

Hamersly’s story explained how EMTs and paramedics differ, how sirens and lights work, and what tools paramedics carry. The hands-on demonstrations followed.

“Katie did a great job interacting with the kids,” said Dawn Walczak, recreation director for the Forest View Park District, which partnered with the fire department on the event. “It was wonderful to see the community enjoying a fun afternoon in the park.”