Hundreds of students, teachers and members of the public came out for the Emergency Responder Showcase at Polson Park Tuesday morning. (Liam Verster/Vernon Matters Staff)

By Liam Verster

Police dog video

Hundreds attend emergency services showcase in Polson Park

Sep 27, 2022 | 1:53 PM

Several hundred students, teachers and members of the public gathered in Vernon’s Polson Park to learn more about what first responders do.

The Emergency Services Showcase ran from 9:30 to 11 a.m. and allowed people to get a close view of the vehicles and equipment used daily by local emergency agencies, including police, paramedics, fire, SWAT and search and rescue.

“It’s a chance for emergency service organizations to get out and demonstrate what they do, interact with the public and for people in the community to meet us in a setting where they’re not normally going to get to interact with us,” Const. Chris Terleski, media relations officer for the Vernon North Okanagan RCMP told Vernon Matters.

“[People] get to meet some of the responders and people from the organizations to talk to them, learn more about what they do. They also get a chance to go through some of the vehicles, some of the equipment.”

An armored RCMP vehicle on display at the Emergency Services Showcase at Polson Park. (Liam Verster/Vernon Matters Staff)

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Members of the Vernon North Okanagan RCMP show students the inside of a police vehicle. (Liam Verster/Vernon Matters Staff)

Members of the public examine the Search and Rescue van and boat on display at the Emergency Services Showcase.(Liam Verster/Vernon Matters Staff)

Terleski added all the equipment being shown was safe for kids and members of the public to handle.

The event also featured a canine take down by the Vernon RCMP’s Police Dog Services and a vehicle extraction demonstration from Vernon Fire Rescue Services.

Vernon Fire Rescue removed the doors from two vehicles as part of their emergency extraction demonstration at the Emergency Services Showcase Tuesday. (Liam Verster/Vernon Matters Staff)

The majority of the roughly more than 300 people in attendance at the event were local elementary and middle school-aged kids. Terleski stated the event was mainly geared toward School District 22 students, though it was also open to any members of the public.

The officer noted the importance of being able to connect directly with the public through this event.

“Generally, when we’re out in the public doing our job and [people] get to see us, we’re working or we’re in a situation where we can’t really stop and chat and visit and explain things or interact with them. So this just provides that opportunity in this environment where they can come ask questions, talk to us about what we do and learn more about what we do and ask those questions that they’ve always wanted to know or get to see inside our vehicles and learn what’s going on. It takes a little bit of the mystery out of it for them and fosters a closer connection,” Terleski said. He noted the event also acts as an important education piece for students who may want to pursue a career in one of these fields.

“I think a lot of [students] have a lot of interest in it. Kids grow up and say ‘I want to be a firefighter’ [or] ‘I want to be a police officer,’ ‘I want to be a doctor,’ whatever they want to be, and if this is something that they’re truly interested in, they get a chance to see it up close and personal.”

This was the third iteration of the event, having been held in 2018 and 2019 then cancelled during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Right now the plan is to run it again [next] fall as a once a year type of thing,” Terleski told Vernon Matters.