A massive crowd of more than 5,000 children and families packed into the Monsey Park & Ride on Friday afternoon for a historic first: the Monsey Fire Department’s inaugural Safety Education Day, an electrifying event that combined adrenaline-pumping live fire demonstrations with hands-on safety training and community engagement.
Residents walked away with free fire extinguishers, while children received safety coloring books, hotline number magnets, and stickers—tools meant to bring fire safety awareness right into local homes.
The real draw, however, were the jaw-dropping live demonstrations. Firefighters staged a dramatic vehicle extrication, showing step-by-step how rescuers free a victim trapped in a wreck. Gasps and cheers filled the air as crews battled a live car fire and set a controlled structure fire to prove how simply closing a door can mean the difference between life and death. Kids lined up for the “smoke house” experience, where they learned to crawl through thick smoke and escape just as they would in a real blaze.
The event also featured partner stands and exhibits, including the office of Assemblyman Aron Wieder, the American Red Cross, the Rockland County Sheriff’s Bomb Squad. The Ramapo Police Department kept traffic and safety under control.
Adding to the excitement, prominent community leaders and elected officials turned out in force. Rockland County Executive Ed Day, Town of Ramapo Supervisor Michael Specht, Assemblyman Aron Wieder, and Rockland County District Attorney Tom Walsh all attended, sending a strong message of support for the Fire Department’s mission of protecting and educating the community.
Despite being held on a hectic summer Friday just hours before Shabbos, the event smashed expectations, drawing one of the largest safety day crowds Rockland has ever seen. Organized by VIP Productions, the program was hailed as a groundbreaking success and a model for future fire safety education in the county.
