When it comes to emergencies, being aware and prepared is key, and that’s exactly what the North Royalton Fire Department Open House & Safety Fair aimed to teach its attendees.
Held May 19 at North Royalton Fire Department, Station #1, the event featured “touch a truck” opportunities with the city’s various fire equipment like the 107-foot tall ladder truck, safety displays, and representatives from several organizations including The Cuyahoga County Office of Emergency Management, the Cleveland Metroparks Ranger Unit, Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department, University Hospitals Parma Medical Center, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Partnership for a Healthy North Royalton, and the MetroHealth Division of Trauma and MetroHealth Burn Unit.
Around 11 a.m., the University Hospitals MedEvac Helicopter circled the City Green to make its annual meet-and-greet appearance with Safety Fair attendees but retracted its course because it received an emergency call.
There was still plenty to see and do though as families packed the Fire Station to speak with representatives and learn of the area’s many safety resources. Children also had the chance to climb aboard fire and safety equipment for a real-life look inside.
“This is a wonderful chance to get some quick information and also bring home information that is on a kid-friendly level,” said mom Amy Buehner. “We came to this event last year and my son, Luke, just loved it. He loves all the trucks.”
Aimed at educating families about various home safety protocol like calling 9-1-1-, crafting preparedness kits, and crime prevention, representatives handed out everything from pot holders from the MetroHealth Burn Unit, hot/cold packs from University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital, safety-themed coloring books and crayons, and emergency preparedness guides from The Cuyahoga County Office of Emergency Management.
Attendees also took their chances to win bicycle helmets and a bicycle, which was donated by North Royalton Firefighters, Local 2156. For lunch, fire officials served up grilled hotdogs, chips, popcorn and lemonade.
Erika Moran, emergency management specialist with The Cuyahoga County Office of Emergency Management, distributed several pieces of safety preparedness literature to attendees, including information on making first aid kits for your family and pets and at-a-glance references for instances like tornados and severe thunderstorms. She also explained and provided a sign-up sheet for the ReadyNotify Alert System, which issues notifications to the public, including information about emergency events, county government news, county building closures, water boil alerts and safety messages. Messages can be received via home/work phone, cell phone, text messaging, fax and email. To learn more about the free service, visit https://ready.cuyahogacounty.us/en-us/readynotify.aspx.
“We’re here to help educate the public and to provide educational materials that will help them be prepared,” Moran said. “We want people to be prepared for and in emergency situations.”
One of her top preparedness tips is to create a “To Go Kit” for the family that contains everything needed for an emergency situation like bottled water, clothing, medication, medical supplies and canned food. She also stressed creating a kit for the family pet that includes various items like disposable gloves, cotton swabs, saline eye solution, tweezers and a small flashlight.
Bridget Gill of the MetroHealth Burn Unit and Carol Kaminoski of the MetroHealth Division of Trauma provided safety tips and distributed several items that served as a reminder to stay safe.
“Cold water is best for a burn,” Gill said. “Try to stay away from the old wives’ tales of putting butter on a burn or ice. And we always advise that if a burn is bigger than the size of your palm, see a doctor.”
For the parents attending, the Open House & Safety Fair was a truly excellent opportunity to gather information on keeping the family safe. For the youngsters attending, it was all about the trucks.
“We just watched an episode of Paw Patrol before we came up here, and he was a firefighter for Halloween this year,” said mom Aubrey Wise of her 3-year-old son Andrew. “He loves seeing all the trucks.”
Mom Angela Rohman attended the Open House & Safety Fair with her two young children. Her daughter, Emma, 2, got her face painted and climbed aboard the many trucks and various safety equipment on display.
“For her, this day is all about seeing the vehicles up close and personal,” Rohman said. “She’s been spending all her time going in and out of all the trucks.”

By SARA MACHO HILL
Contributing Writer