Representatives from Newtown Police Department and Newtown Hook & Ladder visited Newtown Community Center “Superheroes” camp during the final event of the program August 11.

The youngest campers were ready and excited to meet them, standing along the sidewalk to catch a glimpse of their visitors as they arrived.

After pulling to a safe location, Hook & Ladder’s 114 partially extended its ladder adjacent to two police cars that were also were parked just out of reach. Once all the campers had gathered, the officers and volunteer firefighters approached them. Sergeant William Chapman spoke first, accompanied by Officer Matthew Hayes.

“The reason we work really hard to keep you safe is because you’re the real heroes,” Chapman said during his introductory remarks to the young campers. “We know you’re going to grow up and make the world a better place.”

The officer dove into a conversation with the lined-up campers about when to call 9-1-1.

At first, everyone thought it was appropriate to call 911 when they scraped their knee. A resounding “yes” came from every young camper.

When Chapman disagreed, he asked whether or not campers should call 911 if their parents made them a bad dinner. About fifty percent were still sure it was a good idea.

Finally, when Chapman asked the children if they should call 911 when their sibling took something from them, everyone knew the answer was “no.”

This led into a conversation about when it is good to call 911. The officer called on camper volunteers with ideas, sometimes refining their answers to be more specific.

Chapman told the campers that 911 will send the right people to come and help when they are faced with a problem too big to solve on their own.

“Whenever we’re showing up, we’re there to solve a problem,” said Chapman. “The police are problem-solvers.”

Chapman expressed the most important police skills were listening to a problem, thinking of solutions, and using his voice. He said the brain is the most important piece of police equipment, and pointed out to campers they already had one.

When asked once, every young camper expressed in unison they knew not to touch guns.

Firefighters’ Turn

After the police, the husband and wife firefighter team of Rachel and Dan Gindraux took turns talking to the group. Rachel was fully suited up for action in her heavy-duty turnout gear, air pack, and equipment belt.

Dan Gindraux encouraged kids to come up with a safe meeting place in the event of an emergency, and reviewed the stop, drop and roll procedure, which the kids seemed familiar with. To the delight of the campers and counselors, Chapman promptly demonstrated this technique as described by his fellow responder.

Gindraux moved on to address his wife’s turnout gear, and discussed why children should not be afraid if they see a firefighter dressed in full gear during a fire emergency.

“Some people think it’s scary when we have the big masks on and sound a little bit like Darth Vader,” said Dan Gindraux, adding that “inside it’s just Firefighter Rachel.”

“We don’t want you to run from us, we don’t want you to be scared,” said Gindraux to the kids.

Possibly to dispel any lingering hesitation in the group, Gindraux led the kindergartners in identifying the different parts of the uniform.

The presentations from the first responders included plenty of excited interjections by the kindergartners, who seemed excited by the opportunity to engage with them.

Afterwards, the campers were split into two groups and invited by the representatives to get close and familiar with the fire apparatus and police cars.

Every kindergartner had the opportunity to climb in and experience the vehicles for themselves.

Sergeant Chapman distributed little Lego-like figurines of police officers to the children, who also received their own firefighter hat from the Hook & Ladder representatives.

The visitors presented additional information while campers were close to the vehicles, which seemed to devolve naturally into a playful encounter for all parties.

“It’s the best,” Chapman said later, reflecting on the responders’ interactions with the kids. “We love these guys. It’s all about them.”

He added his appreciation that Hook & Ladder was there “because we’re always together when it’s an emergency.”

“All of the emergency services in town — none of us really do any of this on our own,” the officer said.

After the kindergartners took their turn, older camp groups began to file in to interact with the first responders.

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Reporter Noelle Veillette can be reached at noelle@thebee.com.