The Menlo Park Fire Department hosted its 25th Annual Pancake Breakfast on Saturday morning. Locals came together for fun games, impressive firefighter demonstrations, and delicious pancakes. Families dressed up in Halloween costumes and fire hats to meet their local firefighters and experience rescue simulations, face painting, food, and every child’s dream—climbing onto a fire truck.
“I love being able to teach my kids what a hero looks like, and I think that firefighters are the heroes in our community,” attendee Kristen Scott, who brought her husband and three sons to the event, said.
Firefighters, cadets, and teen Explorers—a program where teens train and learn about fire skills—guided children through simulations where they got to put out ‘fires’ and break through a ‘roof.’ “It’s important because then people can see what we do,” junior and Explorer Henry Lucianovic said. “It builds community trust.”
“When people need us, they need to feel like they can always come to us and approach us,” Fire Captain Mark Zamparelli said. “When people panic and worry or are scared, we bring a sense of calm and ease to them.”
The department demonstrated how they conduct rescues from car accidents and burning buildings as the crowd watched in awe. “We have some firefighter enthusiasts in our family, so we’re here to learn more about what firefighters do—what kinds of tools they use and what they do to keep our community safe,” community member Esther Adelsheim, who brought her husband and two kids to the event, said.
Attendees also participated in a raffle and made donations, with all proceeds benefiting the Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation, which supports burn survivors throughout California. In addition, the foundation promotes burn prevention education, teaching the community about different protocols like Stop, Drop, and Roll.
“Burns are very lifelong injuries,” Susan Catalano, a volunteer at the foundation, said. “There are people and support groups we connect you with that can help, as well as camps for children and families.”
The event also featured the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program, which trains volunteers in basic skills to respond to emergencies. Former wildland firefighter and current CERT member Jamie Dent brought his family to the event to learn about fire safety and emergency response. “Everyone should have a general level of awareness to be able to solve their own problems,” he said.
While the department prioritized fire safety education, a lighthearted atmosphere remained as firefighters flipped and served pancakes while children scaled fire trucks and had the chance to be face painted, play with bubbles, and color with chalk and markers.
“The best part is seeing all of the families, seeing everybody come together, how much joy it brings them,” risk reduction officer Heather Keller said. “Otherwise, they might encounter our firefighters only when something is going wrong.”
“I made a lot of people smile today, and that’s my goal,” Explorer Logan Nixon said.
“When I was a little kid, I came out to a pancake breakfast, and that’s what made me want to be a firefighter,” fire cadet Huntly Holmes said. “This is the best job in the world. Knowing that I’m helping as many people as I can every day that I come here, it really just fulfills me.”
