TROY, NY – The Lansingburgh branch of the Troy Public Library hosted its third annual Big Truck Day.

“It’s just a great way to show kids the vehicles they see driving down the road during emergencies, and they’ll never, well, hopefully never, see the inside,” Laurie Dreyer, Lansingburgh branch manager, said Wednesday. “This way they can do it in a stress-free environment where it’s safe.”

Dreyer said they always get a lot of interest from both the community and the groups that bring the trucks. They often reach out, she said, wanting to know when the next Big Truck Day is. The adults enjoy it, too.

The kids see the vehicles drive by all the time, Dreyer said, so they get to see them in person, sit in the seats, meet the people who drive them and – as she warned all the neighbors – push as many buttons and sirens as they can reach. The benefit of the event is twofold, Dreyer said.

In what was probably the earliest networking experience of their lives, the children were able to explore the vehicles and learn about the possibilities of becoming paramedics or truck drivers. But they also benefited from the familiarity. If they were to interact with one of the emergency services in a professional capacity, they would be less afraid, said Officer Ryan MacDonald, a member of the Troy Community Police.

They brought their mobile command center and let kids and parents go in and see what it looked like so they understand exactly what the big truck is for and what it does. Plus, they get to interact with the officers, which gives them that same level of understanding and familiarity, he said, adding that they love these events and hope there are more of them.

“People see that we’re not robots,” MacDonald said. “We love it when people ask questions – ‘Why are you doing this?’ ‘What’s your reason for doing this?’ – because we have a reason for everything, so it’s nice to just sit down and talk to somebody.”

“Ambulances and fire trucks and stuff like that can be scary because you see so much,” said Aiden Gomez, one of the RPI ambulance paramedics at the event. “It’s good to have an opportunity where they (the kids) can come and see what’s inside.”

It’s an educational opportunity, Dreyer said, and that’s what the library is all about. It’s also fun for the adults, who can sit in the seats with their children, and for the professionals, who can see what trucks other groups have brought.

It also helps if someone else is willing to fill out the permits to close the street, she added with a laugh. The library also hosted a scavenger hunt and Stewart’s ice cream for the kids.

It’s also really beneficial to see these trucks and their drivers. Rigoberto Balls-Suarez, who drives one of the city’s street cleaning trucks, said he loved trucks as a child and was often around them since his father drove a garbage truck.

At events like these, the kids get to see and interact with the trucks, which they always enjoy, he said, even if the boom truck they brought isn’t quite as loud as some of the others.

“It’s just so much fun to watch the kids climb on the trucks,” Dreyer said. “They have so much fun honking their horns and pushing buttons.”

Emily Vafiadis said it was a little loud for her son Leo, who is not even 2 yet, but he loves big trucks and cars, so they wanted to come and check it out. He has Little People cars at home that he loves, she said, and they were very grateful the event was held there.

“We’re really excited to see this,” Vafiadis said. “We wanted to see if he wanted to drive a truck and if he could do all these things.”