The Valley Chronicle - Local firefighters advocate emergency preparedn

City of Hemet Fire Department sets up booth outside of Walmart for National Safety Month

[caption id="attachment_11699" align="aligncenter" width="576"] Photo by Taj Shorter/The Valley Chronicle
From left to right: Firefighter/Paramedic Daniel Rosenberg, Captain Pat Brown, and Engineer Aaron Sheehey pose outside of their booth at the Walmart Neighborhood Market off of Florida Avenue.[/caption] ■ By Taj Shorter / Reporter On Friday June 8, Hemet Fire Department parked one of its fire trucks outside of the Walmart Neighborhood Market off of Florida Avenue and ran a booth to advocate emergency preparedness. Firefighter paramedic Daniel Rosenberg, Captain Pat Brown, and engineer Aaron Sheehey were present and in charge of operating the booth and greeting the public. “We’re just out here partnering with Walmart trying to inform the public about emergency preparedness” said Brown. The fire truck was decorated with colorful balloons and the officers were in their best uniforms despite the heat. The highlighter yellow table was covered with candy and word puzzles for the kids. “We’re kind of in a competition of who has the biggest balloons and the most people come to our booth,” joked Sheehey. There was also plenty of information for the general public including family communication plans and emergency checklists. The pamphlets included tips for home and car emergency kits. The booth also advocated the do’s and don’ts during drills and to “treat every drill as if it is the real thing.” Hemet firefighters pointed out to us that it is important to be prepared for natural disasters such as wildfires, especially in our city. According to the National Safety Council, June is national safety month and the NSC and thousands of other organizations work to ensure “No One Gets Hurt.” Observed annually in June, National Safety Month focuses on reducing leading causes of injury and death at work, on the road, and in our homes and communities.