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22 | June 7, 2018 | The Mokena Messenger life & Arts<br />
mokenamessenger.com<br />
MFPD’s annual<br />
Earn<br />
event 5-alarm fun<br />
Family Fun Day<br />
features games,<br />
education about fire<br />
safety<br />
on eVantage Checking<br />
Cynthia Freeman<br />
Editorial Intern<br />
Children play a game of water ball with the assistance of<br />
MFPD firefighters.<br />
Photos by Cynthia Freeman/22nd Century Media<br />
Families flocked to Mokena<br />
Fire Protection District’s<br />
15th annual Family<br />
Fun Day on Saturday, June<br />
2, at Fire Station No. 1. The<br />
free event featured various<br />
activities, including: dress<br />
the firefighter; water ball,<br />
in which children used fire<br />
hoses to try and push a<br />
large ball across the other’s<br />
line; stop, drop and roll;<br />
touch a truck; put out the<br />
house fire, in which children<br />
used a hose to knock<br />
down a wooden “fire” cutout<br />
on a playhouse; and lots<br />
more.<br />
Families came to join the<br />
firefighters and learn about<br />
the safety protocols involving<br />
fires and how to prevent<br />
them. It was an opportunity<br />
for families to bond, as well<br />
as get acquainted with the<br />
MFPD.<br />
Assistant Fire Chief Joe<br />
Cirelli recognized how important<br />
it is to teach young<br />
children about fire safety and<br />
prevention.<br />
“We wanted to reach out<br />
to the community and try<br />
to bring the younger kids in<br />
to where the firefighters are<br />
and allow them to interact,<br />
before there is an emergency,<br />
with the firefighters so<br />
they’re comfortable with us<br />
and we can kind of form a<br />
bit of a relationship,” Cirelli<br />
said.<br />
The event has sparked interest<br />
in young adults who<br />
were interested in becoming<br />
firefighters later in life, Cirelli<br />
said. He added that the<br />
firefighters of MFPD are always<br />
willing to answer questions<br />
and help someone find<br />
the resources they need if<br />
they choose to become part<br />
of the fire service.<br />
“We want [the community]<br />
to build that relationship<br />
with us prior to the<br />
emergency, but, as you can<br />
see, we are also delivering<br />
community risk reduction<br />
type of messages and<br />
we want them to take that<br />
away also — learn not to<br />
burn, check the smoke detectors,<br />
reach out to us if<br />
they have any questions,”<br />
Cirelli said. “It’s part having<br />
families come in and<br />
have fun, but a bigger part<br />
is educating families on<br />
what we do and what we<br />
are here for and how to prevent<br />
needing us.”<br />
Mia Paciorek was a firsttime<br />
goer to Family Fun<br />
Day and was brought out by<br />
her brother, who is from the<br />
Mokena area. They wanted<br />
to spend some quality<br />
family time together, as well<br />
as learn some more about<br />
firefighters and what they<br />
do.<br />
“They have never seen a<br />
fire truck and I have never<br />
seen a fire station,” said Paciorek<br />
as she talked about<br />
how her children and her<br />
were seeing behind the<br />
scenes of their local fire station<br />
for the first time.<br />
Although the day was<br />
filled with education opportunities<br />
and exciting activities,<br />
the process of planning<br />
Family Fun Day started a<br />
few months ago. In order to<br />
gather the food vendors and<br />
staff, the planning must start<br />
months in advance. The day<br />
of the event, crew members<br />
start setting stuff up a couple<br />
hours before the event begins.<br />
For more information<br />
about the MFPD, call (708)<br />
479-5371, or visit moke<br />
nafire.org.<br />
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