DoingItLocal

(Bridgeport, CT – June 25, 2013) – James Gilliard, 12, and Edgardo Gadea, 13, put on their toughest faces as they posed with a ballistic SWAT shield and a battering ram but they were all smiles after the photo op ended.

On Tuesday, a few hundred youths spent the morning and afternoon checking out the tools and equipment first responders and emergency responders use to do their job.

The young men and women got to check out the inside of the mobile command center, hang out in the armored Bearcat SWAT vehicle, watch firefighters carve up a car using the “jaws of life” during an exercise in vehicle extrication, and strap themselves into ‘The Convincer,’ a state police contraption that simulates a low-speed motor vehicle accident – a jarring reminder to use seatbelts.

“That was just 5 mph,” a State Trooper explained to a group of about a dozen students. “Imagine 50 or 60 miles per hour.”

The career day was sponsored by the Bridgeport Junior Emergency Responders, a public school-based extracurricular group. Members spent the school year learning about public safety and emergency response. On Tuesday, they got to see it in action firsthand.

The event was organized by the Bridgeport Police Department, the department’s School Resource Officers and school security guards.

“What was so great about this event is it was hands-on,” said Mayor Bill Finch. “This wasn’t a group of people standing in front of a room describing their professions. The kids got to see and touch the tools that emergency responders use to do their jobs and see demonstrations of what they do.”

The State Police bomb robot was a hit with the crowd. The department’s Mounted Unit showed off its horses. The Fire Department impressed with its demonstrations for the children. Kids were able to sit on the Police Department’s four-wheel quads that are used to patrol Seaside Park.

Next year, the city will open the Bridgeport Military Academy, a new high school geared toward students with an interest in public safety and emergency response.

Among the agencies that participated were the Bridgeport Police and Fire Departments, the Connecticut State Police, the Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security and American Medical Response.

5:57pm Report of a motor vehicle accident on I-95 Northbound between exits 21 and 22

5:42pm–#Bridgeport CT– Report of a structure fire at 388 Huntington Road. There is smoke coming out of the windows.

2:19pm–#Bridgeport CT– Report of a motor vehicle accident at Merritt Street and Madison Avenue

12:48pm–#Bridgeport CT–Firefighters on the way to a shed fire on Howard Court. UPDATE–Homeowner says she put the fire out with a garden hose but firefighters on the way to make sure the fire did not extend elsewhere or ensure there are no smoldering embers.

BRIDGEPORT, CT (June 25, 2013) – Mayor Bill Finch and Greater Bridgeport Transit officials urge City residents to come to the Greater Bridgeport Transit Main Bus Terminal at 710 Water St., to cool off on Tuesday, June 25 from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

“High temperatures and high humidity are a deadly mix, especially for the elderly and those who don’t have access to air conditioning. I urge anyone who needs a place to cool off to come to the bus terminal or visit a local senior center or one of our libraries to stay cool today,” said Mayor Finch.

More information about how to stay cool in hot weather can be found on the City of Bridgeport’s Emergency Management website at www.bridgeportct.gov/EmergencyMgmt or download the Emergency Management’s Extreme Heat guide directly at http://bit.ly/1aaHsUn.