KAPAA — Keiki circled in anticipation as a Kauai Fire Department fire truck pulled up to the Wailua Beach Park on Saturday. Their eyes were full of excitement as firemen showed them the bells and whistles that adorn the truck, shining brightly under the immaculate morning sunshine.
“What is this for?” asked one inquisitive keiki. KPD firefighter Iran Nishi took the time to show the keiki exactly what the knobs and levers do when turned on the truck, and how they fight fires to keep the community safe.
Nishi and the other firemen were all smiles as they came down to teach the keiki what they do for service in their community and how to practice best safety procedures themselves.
The firemen and the KFD truck were there as part of the annual Splash Day put on by the Pu‘uwai Canoe Club and Brian Currl. In addition to the KPD, Cleves Zarbugh, training lieutenant for Ocean Safety, was there to help the kids learn ocean safety along with Natalie Senyk, or coach “Nat” as the keiki call her, a personal trainer with the Kauai Athletic Club.
“Brian asked me if I would come and talk to the kids about strength training,” Senyk said. “So we talked about strength training and how that translates to being safe and fast on the water.”
One of the highlights for Senyk was when she asked the children if any of them knew what a “burpee workout” is.
“I love when I asked them, ‘How many of you know what burpees are?’” Senyk said of the intense squat thrust workout routine. “People that do exercise don’t like burpees because it’s a really hard exercise and they were all like, ‘I know!’ So I told them to show me your burpees.”
The 20 or so keiki that attended the event got to spend a little time on the water.
There were six stand-up paddleboards, donated for use by Jonathan Wilson, and two six-person outerigger canoes available for the children. The keiki were taught safe water sports techniques and spent some time on the Wailua in the cool waters.
The annual event saw fewer participants than in previous years, but that didn’t stop the 40 or so people that did attend from having fun as the group lined up for a photo.
“Is this a photo that we give the shocker for, or not,” one firefighter said with a laugh.
