The Naperville police and fire departments held their annual Public Safety Open House at the city’s Public Safety Campus on Saturday.
The event, a tradition for many Naperville residents, is an opportunity for people to learn about best safety practices and connect with law enforcement in a family-friendly environment.
“An event like this allows us to be able to showcase ourselves as human beings and what our department is, and interact with everyone on more of a human level and just show the positivity of the public safety groups,” said Phil Giannattasio, deputy chief of the Naperville Fire Department. “It’s a great way for us to interact in a non-stressful, non-emergent event and really kind of open our doors and learn more about them and have them learn more about us.”
Attendees treated to live safety demonstrations
Throughout the day, attendees were able to engage in a variety of activities, like stepping into the fire station, which housed the booths of other safety-focused organizations. They could also hop into the public safety vehicles on-site.
“My kids love firetrucks and police cars…and it’s a great family event and super educational as well. I think I always learn one thing every time,” said Naperville resident Jeff Young.
Public safety demonstrations were a major highlight. The Naperville Police Department conducted a mock DUI traffic stop and a Taser demonstration, and their K-9s Scout and Apollo also made an appearance.
The fire department hosted the crowd favorite: a live fire demonstration comparing a sprinkler-protected structure to one without. This year, they also simulated a technical rescue using a fire truck.
“We have a lot of great equipment out here today, because there’s much more going on than just car accidents or structure fires or robberies that our public safety groups do, and we want to showcase that,” Giannattasio said.
Public safety open house underscores law enforcement unity
The Public Safety Open House has been ongoing for more than 25 years, initially starting with the fire department before evolving into a collaboration between police and fire.
Beyond education and entertainment, Giannattasio said the event is an opportunity to show the unity of Naperville’s emergency response teams.
“It really highlights the partnership that both of our agencies have. Because I will tell you our water rescue team, our drone team, and our tactical EMS and their SWAT teams are all joint teams. We do them together, so it’s really important that we showcase that we are really one public safety group,” he said.
