Apopka Public Safety Days as described by your host Alice Nolan

The SWAT team put on quite a demonstration with smoke, but no mirrors...

By Alice Nolan

After being rescheduled because of bad weather, Public Safety Day had finally arrived Saturday morning at The Northwest Recreation Complex and the weather couldn’t have been better!

Let’s start at the Amphitheatre where two helicopters just landed from Florida Hospital and Orlando Health. They are staffed with a pilot and the Aeromedical RN’s or flight nurses. These flight nurses are highly trained registered nurses that provide comprehensive pre-hospital, emergency, and critical care to all types of patients during aero-medical evacuation or rescue operations aboard helicopter and propeller aircraft or jet aircraft. Flight nurses are typically paired with flight medics, respiratory practitioners, and/or flight physicians as a comprehensive emergency and critical transport team, especially in pediatric and neonatal transport teams.

As we continue our tour, take a look at the Ambulances, Fire Trucks, SWAT, and Crime Scene Vehicles and equipment. Children are getting fingerprinted for public safety, having pictures taken with Sparky the Fire Dog and competing to win a bicycle.

Along with the demonstrations, the public was given a chance to interact with the equipment.

The dogs jumped out of a truck to chase down their fictional foes...

They practiced on the Medical Manikin, tested out Police Shields, tried-on different agency gear and watched live demonstrations.

Police canine officers demonstrated techniques for “taking-down” suspects. The dogs ran off of a truck and charged across the field towards their fictional foes.

The Apopka Fire Department showed off their “jaws of life” device in a demonstration that made them look like a real life Hulk. Later they featured their 95-foot ladder truck to demonstrate spraying a firehouse. This also gave people a moment to cool down in the heat of the day as well as marvel at the ladder.

Apopka Police Chief Michael McKinley, Mayor Joe Kilsheimer, Commissioner Diane Velazquez and Commissioner Kyle Becker presented Central Florida Crimeline a $1,500.00 donation.

The event gave the community an opportunity to meet and learn about their Public Service Departments.

Alice Nolan is a sixth-generation resident of Apopka who recently ran for The Apopka City Commission.