ALTON - The Fosterburg Fire Protection District is getting ready to host their 2nd Annual Meet & Greet event. The family-friendly community event will be held on June 3 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Emmanuel Free Methodist Church, located at 3993 Fosterburg Road in Alton.

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Lieutenant Jay Wright and Event/Fundraising Coordinator Michelle Price recently appeared on an episode of Our Daily Show! on Riverbender.com to discuss the purpose behind the event and everything visitors can expect there.

“Last year we just kind of put it together, trying to talk to the community without having emergency services - ‘Meet us before you need us’ was kind of the idea behind it,” Wright said.

Price added: “Our community is so supportive of our department with everything that we do, and so this is just a small way for us to give back and get some excitement going.”

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She said the Meet & Greet will feature several emergency personnel apparatuses and a few Fire Protection District members will be placed in a “dunk tank.” There will also be games, snow cones, cotton candy, and much more at the event.

Wright said the district will display some of its apparatuses along with the Madison County Sheriff’s Department, who will display their SWAT truck with a couple of their deputies and a K-9 unit. There will also be a Survival Flight helicopter at the event, though it will not be taking visitors on helicopter rides.

The event will also feature a “live extrication,” or a demonstration of a simulated rescue from a car wreck. Wright said this allows the public to see how the district handles those situations from an outside perspective.

Wright said he’s been with the district for 17 years, and Price said she’s been with them for about six years. Wright described the department as close-knit and said many members have been there for several years, but they’re always looking for new volunteers. Learn more by visiting the district’s website or Facebook page, or visit the Information Tent at the Meet & Greet.

The full interview with Wright and Price can be watched at the top of this story or on Riverbender.com/video.

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