Personnel and volunteers from local services, including the Narooma Police, Fire and Rescue, Dalmeny Kianga Rural Fire Service, Narooma VRA and Moruya SES all joined forces for the event on November 30.

Senior Constable Gavin Warner, who helped establish the event, said the showcase was vital in educating students about their local emergency services.

“It started with an idea that I wanted to engage with the local community. I wanted to show that police are not the bad guys we want kids to come to us when they need help,” Senior Constable Warner said.

He said the inaugural event was a success and thanked local crews for getting on board.

“Everyone has been eager and keen and the turnout has been great,” he said.

“You can even tell when the kids first come up to the police, they’re a bit apprehensive, but by the end of it, they’re having a great time.”

Narooma’s NSW Ambulance station officer, Craig Potts, and fellow paramedic Jacqui McCulloch, shared some vital emergency tips with students and helped clear up any fears or misunderstandings about their service.

Mr Potts said students were enthusiastic to get a look inside a working ambulance van and learn about the lifesaving equipment paramedics use.

“Days such as today provide an opportunity for the community to interact with their local emergency services and to put them at ease with some of the concerns they might have,” Mr Potts said. 

“It gives kids the opportunity to come to us and we can reassure them that we can offer them the best care. With that ability to offer them the best care, we can then extend that to their family and friends and spread the word that we’re here to help.”

He said the talk was important in teaching students not to be afraid of calling triple zero in an emergency.

“Kids are sometimes fearful that we may cause them more pain or there’s going to be a bad outcome when the ambulance turns up, when it’s completely the opposite,” Mr Potts said.