Reaching out: Fishers Fire Department cul-de-sac drills boost community engagement

Giggles echoed in the cul-de-sac between Bristlecone Drive and Moss Woods Drive June 16 during the Fishers Fire Department’s latest cul-de-sac drill.

Firefighters drove to the cul-de-sac to meet with residents and their families and answer questions. They also taught the neighborhood children how to use a firehose and let them take a peek inside the firetruck.

FFD Public Information Officer John Mehling said the event was one of 60 cul-de-sac drills the fire department has planned this year. Last year, as a pilot program, the fire department did 15 sessions and there was an overwhelming positive response as residents asked for more drills.

The point of doing the drills, Mehling said, is to give firefighters an opportunity to create a dialogue with the community before an emergency occurs. 

“If you have questions, we want you to feel comfortable asking us and we’ll get you an answer,” Mehling said. “The other part of it is to (work) with the kids. We don’t want to meet the kids for the first time in an emergency situation. That’s a scary situation all by itself, and you throw in big firefighters, all the gear, all the noise — it doesn’t get any less scary in those situations.” 

Mehling said the drills also help to let children know it’s OK to go to firefighters when they are in danger.

“(My favorite memory from the drills is) seeing the look on the kid’s face when they look at these firefighters and knowing that these people are there for them,” Mehling said. “In that moment, we’ve made it a safer place for them.”

Lauren Gray, a firefighter for the FFD, said her favorite part about the cul-de-sac drills is meeting children in the community in a positive way.

“A lot of times, our job involves doing things that are sometimes not the happiest of things,” Gray said. “So, this is one of the days that we get a chance to see the community in a really positive way and get a chance to hang out with them.”

Gray said that with the growth of Fishers over the past couple of years, the FFD has also grown. She said because of the growth, the department receives and listens to public feedback on ways to improve safety.

“Their feedback on us, and their feedback towards the city itself, is always helpful for us,” Gray said. “We are the employees of the city, so it means a lot that they understand who we are and what we do, and doing cul-de-sac drills helps people understand who we are.”

Mehling said the FFD uses the hashtag #thishouseprotectsmyhouse to show that when the fire department and the community work together, most emergencies can be prevented. He said the fire department needs to create a dialogue to inform citizens of what they need to do to make their lives safer and what to do in case of an emergency. 

“We’re a phone call away,” Mehling said. “We are here for you, whether it’s calling 911 for an emergency or calling our non-emergency lines to get additional information to get help with smoke alarms (or) to learn how to do maintenance to your home to make things safer. We would love to talk to people and help them live a safer, better life.”

The FFD is not taking reservations on the cul-de-sac drills, but they will be headed to more neighborhoods for drills and community engagement throughout upcoming months. 

To learn more about the FFD, go to fishers.in.us/219/Fishers-Fire-Department.