More than 160 children have taken part in a "Hero Day", giving them a hands-on experience of Northland's emergency services.
The event, at Ngati Manu Marae, near Kawakawa, brought pupils from Karetu, Waikare and Motatau schools together with personnel from St John Ambulance, the Fire Service and the police.
The kids, who were invited to dress as their favourite hero for the day, learned about calling 111, why prank calls are a bad idea, and basic medical procedures such as wound dressing.
They also learned about the importance of smoke alarms and how to get out of a burning building, thanks to a fire-simulating Wendy house.
The star of the day, however, was the police dog handler and his tracking dogs Orla and Grizz.
Organiser and St John volunteer Marleen Parata said the aim of the event was to show kids there was nothing scary about the emergency services. A similar event was held at Kawakawa Primary School in March.