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

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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. 

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FFD firefighter Lauren Gray gets ready to race with a child through the firehose water. (Photo by Kiersten Riedford)

“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.

  • The Fishers Fire Department’s cul de sac drills started June 9 and run through Aug. 28, according to the department’s website. Below is the posted 2023 schedule of when firefighters will be visiting different neighborhoods throughout Fishers:

    • June 28: Vermillion: Wheatley Court and Kensington Lane
    • June 30: South Avalon: Bellingham and Woverton
    • July 7: Thorpe Creek: Bustic Ridge Court
    • July 8: Plantana: Dearborn Circle; The Hawthorne: Talnuck Circle/ Great Blue Trace
    • July 10: Heritage Green; Ashbury Circle; Metropolitan Apartments: Falling Brook Drive and Eller Road
    • July 14: Hunters Run: Bellevue Circle; Flat Fork: Deepwood Court and Portage Trail Lane
    • July 15: Anderson Hall: Helios Circle; Gray Eagle: Tavernier Drive/Elgin Court
    • July 17: Covington: Tudor Court; The Pines: River Oak Lane and Pineridge North Drive
    • July 18: Conner Knoll: Knollwood Place
    • July 19: Sunblest Farms: Tanner Drive
    • July 20: Berkley Ridge: Blackhorn Court
    • July 21: Canal Place: Kemp Court and Waterway Boulevard
    • July 22: Sedona/Canyon Ridge: Van Buren Place; The Bristols: Jaguars Drive/Vikings Lane
    • July 24: Northfield Esates: Sheffield Court and Northfield Place; Whelchel Springs: Latana and Nettle Lane
    • July 26: Oakhurst: Cloverbank Drive and Oakhurst Lane
    • July 27: Bradford Knoll: Brothers Court
    • August 3: Tremont: Preston Court 
    • August 4: Sunblest Farms: Ashton Lane; Intercostal at Geist: Keel Road and Newbury Port Drive
    • August 5: Pleasant View: Raven Court
    • August 7: Spyglass Falls: Kingston Court
    • August 8: Spyglass Hills: Mainsail Court
    • August 11: Heritage Meadows: Legacy Court; River Highlands: Highlands Place and River Highlands Drive
    • August 12: Britton Ridge: Ramsgate Court; Brooks Chase: Star Drive/131st Street
    • August 14: Avalon of Fishers: Avalon Boulevard and Ely Road
    • August 16: Bridger Pines: Gaylen Court and Gallatin Way
    • August 18: Sunblest Farms: Rush Court; Berkley Ridge: Tarragon Court and Willow Ridge
    • August 19: Somerset: Saltford Circle (South); Walrond Estate: Walrond Road in the cul de sac
    • August 20: Hawks Landing: Hawk’s Nest Drive/Hawks Landing Drive
    • August 21: Turnberry: Fernie Circle
    • August 25: Fawnsbrook Woods: Fawns Run and Fawns Brook Drive
    • August 26: Springs of Cambridge: Golden Ridge Lane and Springstone Road
    • August 28: Silverton: Betton Place
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