This seems so wrong

[Richard B the EMT]

Uh...BSValley? At my street's block party, yesterday, as a bit of public relations, we had the nearest FDNY aerial ladder truck company come in, putting children up into the cab for photo op by the children's parents, arranged for by the husband of the block party coordinator, a "Truckie" from a different FDNY truck company. They stayed roughly 3/4 hour, parked in a position so they could leave quickly if called.

Every December, a few blocks away, we have a ceremony where a rather extensive Christmas Lighting display gets lit, with a portable stage set up for an assortment of singers and dancers, some from the public schools, others from private dance studios, as well as professional singers and radio DJs, to perform. With the DJ acting as master of ceremonies, cracking jokes of how Santa is in an assortment of traffic jams trying to get there, it's a fund raiser for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

The big moment of Santa Claus, and his wife, is usually heralded by one of the NYPD Aviation helicopters flying relatively low, orbiting at about 500 feet, playing the big searchlight on the crowd, followed by the Clauses being delivered to the stage from the "bucket" of an FDNY "Tower" Ladder Truck Company.

Numerous times, we've read of a juvenile end stage Cancer patient, in hospital, who has had a local FD Tower Ladder Truck company pick him or her up, using the bucket, put the patient into a specially sized Turnout gear setup, allow the patient to use an accompanying Engine company's hose to put out a controlled garbage can sized fire, and drive them around the area near the hospital. This is usually finished by having the FD Chief declare the patient a "Junior Fire Fighter", as the patient gets returned to their hospital room, again, by the bucket of the truck. Most times, the patient succumbs to the Cancer less than a week later, but usually dies happy that they had become a "member" of the department.

In all 3 cases, this is using some public monies for the assorted apparatus, machinery, and personnel, but drums up good public relations for the local FD units, or the local department overall. In the second case, it also becomes good publicity for the NYPD, as well as the numerous food vendors who give away free food at the event to the attendees.