FOR emergency services in the area, KidsFest Shellharbour has become a valuable tool in breaking down barriers between themselves and the region’s young people. 

For the second straight year the festival will feature the Emergency Services Expo, which gives children a chance to interact with members of the NSW Police Force, Ambulance Service, Fire and Rescue and the Rural Fire Service. 

‘‘This is the second year in a row we’ve been done this, but it’s actually the fourth year all in total that we’ve been doing it,’’ RFS Illawarra district services officer David Hitchens said. 

‘‘It’s definitely proved to be a popular event, we had around 200 kids come through last year, but I think we’re probably looking at something like 450 kids this year.’’ 

While the expo is a fun opportunity for kids to get close up look at fire trucks and police cars, it also has a valuable outcome. 

‘‘It’s a great day for us, we find that a long of young people can be really nervous about the idea of having to approach someone like a police officer or fire-fighter,’’ Mr Hitchens said. 

‘‘If you’re a young person I can imagine the idea of going up to somebody in uniform and asking them for help would be a bit intimidating, but we want to show them that we’re there to help and that they should approach us if they think they need help. 

‘‘You can see the changes in the kids throughout the day, they’re a bit nervous to start with, but after climbing over a truck and interacting with us they’re completely different.’’

The Emergency Services Expo will be held at the Illawarra Rural Fire Service Control Centre at the Illawarra Regional Airport from 10am-2pm on Tuesday, May 20.