Life imitated art when children's author Rhian Williams had a huge hailstorm hit her house near Hall in January and all manner of emergency services personnel turned up to help.
"Every room had broken windows," she said. "So they stayed taped up over summer. It certainly wasn't as bad as the floods and bushfires, my house was still habitable."
She made sure the emergency services personnel who did help saw a copy of her new children's book, Emergency! Emergency! - Vehicles to the Rescue, which is being launched on Saturday at the Canberra Fire Museum in Forrest. And everyone is invited.
Emergency Emergency is a children's picture book featuring information about 11 different emergency vehicles including ambulances, police cars, water bombers, helicopters and, of course, fire trucks along with the safety message of calling Triple Zero in an emergency.
"As a local author it is really important to me that the book also reflects the local yellow Canberra Fire trucks," she said.
Rhian was inspired by her nephew's love of "anything high-vis" and her own experience as a member of the Springfield Rural Fire Service Brigade. She wants the whole community ready for an emergency. And she has seen many kids - and some adults - know the American emergency number 911 but not the Australian 000.
"As a volunteer with my local bushfire brigade I understand how getting kids involved can be so helpful to getting their parents to think about emergency preparedness and how this in turn helps the whole community become more engaged," she said.
"I also know that so many kids, and quite a few adult, know the American emergency number quite well and that it is vital they learn the Australian Triple Zero - as knowing this number might just save a life and maybe their own."
Emergency Emergency is Rhian's second book. Her first book, Ten Little Figs, was a Children's Book Council of Australia Notable Book and was also shortlisted in the Speech Pathology Book of the Year in 2021.
The Fire Museum is excited to be hosting Saturday's book launch.
It has a range of displays, including fire trucks that are more than 100-years-old.
"They have even built a wooden fire truck that kids can climb on and kitted it out with radios and other equipment - sure to be a big hit," Rhian said.
Emergency Emergency is Williams' second book. Her first book, Ten Little Figs, was a Children's Book Council of Australia Notable Book and was also shortlisted in the Speech Pathology Book of the Year in 2021.
The book launch is 11.30am to 1.30pm on Saturday at the Canberra Fire Museum, 4 Empire Circuit, Forrest. Entry is free but register first via eventbrite.com.au here
