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Photograph by Douglas Rider
Officer Bradley Militan shows Haley Harris how to use the fire hose at the July 28 Sunnyvale Fire Station Two Open House.
Police Action
Open house lets Sunnyvale residents see public safety up close
By Jesse Ducker
It's not every day that someone gets to operate a fire hose. However, at the recent Station Two Open House, Sunnyvale children got to do just that, as well as engage in and watch a variety of activities.
At the July 28 exhibition, about 75 to 100 Sunnyvale residents, including children, took the afternoon to check out what public safety has going on.
"It's good for Sunnyvale residents to come and see what we have to offer," said Public Safety Officer Keith Kumuda.
Also, as Lt. Charlie Rice joked, "It's a great opportunity for people to come and see the equipment they bought."
The open house, the second of its kind, gave Sunnyvale residents a chance to view their tax dollars in action, in the form of the new vehicles used by the public safety department. They could inspect the new police cars and a new fire truck, which had its ladder fully extended.
Children of all ages could also fulfill their dreams and take a ride around the block in a new fire engine.
"This open house is our chance to thank the Sunnyvale community," said Public Safety Chief Irwin Bakin. "It shows them they can trust the resources they've spent their money on."
Rice, a 30-year veteran of public safety, added that the open house was a chance for the department to share their new equipment with the community. "It gives them an opportunity to learn aspects of public safety they don't think about or may not understand," he said.
Public safety officers also gave various live action demonstrations and tours of Station Two, one of six fire stations in Sunnyvale.
Photograph by Douglas Rider
Officer John Credi lets Hana Chuang look through the scope of a SAGE weapon at the Sunnyvale Fire Station Two open house after he finished demonstrating the 'less-lethal' weapon on a pair of cardboard cutouts.
Officer Derek Swanger conducted tours of the training tower, showing visitors the rooms where they conduct exercises with live, controlled burns. They also had visitors check out the Self-Controlled Breathing Apparatus, which firefighters use to breathe in smoke-filled, burning buildings, and a hand-held thermo-imaging camera, which allows firefighters to find people in smoke-filled, possibly darkened rooms.
Officer John Credi demonstrated one the city's SAGE weapons, a 37 mm less-lethal impact weapon, on a pair of cardboard cutouts. The gun fires rubberized baton-type rounds, which, according to Lt. Byron Pipkin, "are designed to put someone down without fatal injuries."
They also executed a simulated rescue from a "burning" building. Officer Hershel Golden rappelled from the top of the training tower through a window, to rescue officer Shellie Rice (Charlie's wife) from a smoke-filled room, then rappelled to the ground.
The difference between new fire engines and police cars is mostly in the paint job--the new engine and truck are bright red, as opposed to yellow, and the police cars are black and white, as opposed to plain white.
"The change came from the officers," Bakin said. "They like a more traditional look."
Bakin said after public safety's recent 50th anniversary, one of the officers researched and found the city used to use red fire engines. Hence, they decided to return to that tradition.
Pipkin said that over the last two years, public safety has added four fire trucks and two engines. It's also using five black-and-white cars. Pipkin said more cars would be cycled in as the old cars are retired. He said the process should take three years.
Bakin said the cars and trucks have cost close to $1 million thus far.
Residents also got to enjoy a free lunch/barbecue spread, along with the "famous" meatballs cooked by Officer Terry Bishop.
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Sunnyvale, California Since 1994
