Posted: Friday 29 June 2018, 10:29
The Police and Crime Commissioner, Hardyal Dhindsa, Chief Constable, Peter Goodman, Chief Fire Officer, Terry McDermott and the Chair of Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Authority, Cllr. Kevin Buttery invite you to attend the first ever Derbyshire Police and Fire Family Open Day – a fun, FREE day out for the whole family.
Members of the community from across Derbyshire are invited to attend the first ever fun, informative and interactive family open day taking place on Saturday 4 August 2018 at the joint police and fire training centre in Ripley, Derbyshire.
Doors will open at 10.30am and visitors will be treated to a behind the scenes insight into the work of Derbyshire’s blue light emergency services and their partners.
Packed with joint police and fire demonstrations throughout the day, including firefighters cutting casualties out of road traffic collisions, police officers using drones and our famous four legged fire and police investigation dogs doing their thing, the event will also provide our communities the chance to get up close to some of the equipment used daily by firefighters, police officers and paramedics in pursuit of a Safer Derbyshire.
With a Safer Derbyshire at the core of the event, visitors will also have the opportunity to trial a virtual reality road safety experience, the VR4 Car which has been built into a Ford Focus car, or try out the latest road safety virtual reality goggles.
Several lucky visitors* will have the chance to take a trip, accompanied by firefighters, up in the Aerial Ladder Platform (ALP). The ALP will give the lucky visitors a chance to take in some breath-taking views of the stunning Derbyshire Countryside from high over the training centre.
Younger visitors will have the opportunity to look around a fire engine, sit in a police car and also the chance to be selected to take part in demonstrations by Dexter, the fire investigation dog and police search dogs.
To increase the family experience, a children’s entertainment section will feature a bouncy castle, teacup ride, face painting and a miniature ride-on fire engine. There will be a small charge for children’s rides with a percentage of all takings being donated to the Fire Fighters Charity and the Chief Constables chosen charity, Safe and Sound, which works to fight sexual exploitation.
Derbyshire’s Chief Fire Officer/Chief Executive Terry McDermott said: “We are extremely proud of the new joint training centre, and the open day provides the perfect chance to show if off to our communities – the very people who our firefighters and police officers train to protect and keep safe.
“Fire station open days are always a fun and informative day out for the whole family, and I know that everyone who comes along to this event, whether it be a family wanting to know more about the work we do, or a young child who is inspired to be a firefighter or police officer in the future; I know they will all have a memorable day.”
Hardyal Dhindsa, Police and Crime Commissioner for Derbyshire, said: “We’re really proud of the relationship we’ve built with our fire service colleagues which has resulted in this fantastic joint training facility. This fun event will be a chance to celebrate this unique partnership with the wider community as well as showcase some of the joint operational responses we’ve rehearsed to improve safety across Derbyshire.
“There’s immense value in opening our doors to the public in this way and giving local people a realistic, behind-the-scenes look at what we do. The public remain a key partner in our work to create safer communities and it’s nice to be able to show our appreciation with this exciting family day out which promises to bring everybody together.”
Derbyshire’s Chief Constable, Peter Goodman said “I am so pleased that we are able to open up our Joint Training Centre to the public. It will give everyone who attends a chance to see behind the scenes of both the police and fire & rescue service. Those attending will be able to meet police officers and staff, see some great demonstrations and try out the equipment both services use.
“We will also be showing how the police and fire & rescue service are working together to help keep Derbyshire safe. I will be there on the day, and I look forward to welcoming everyone, for what is set to be a really informative and enjoyable day”
For more information including FAQ’s about parking, demonstrations, exhibits and facilities on the day, please visit our events page.
*ALP COMPETITION - Names will be drawn at random from visitors who will be invited to give their names at one of the event stands. Entrants to the ALP trip competition will have to be 18 years and over. DFRS reserves the right to refuse access to the ALP to anyone who they feel may pose a safety risk, to themselves or the Service. Height restrictions will apply.
