The lights and sirens of Oak Harbor’s National Night Out lured hundreds of families to the annual event.

About 4,800 people visited Windjammer Park between noon and 8 p.m. on Tuesday. People had fun while learning about how to fight neighborhood crime and other public safety issues.

Over 63 organizations participated in this year’s event.

Rick Bell, Oak Harbor’s National Night Out Committee chairman, said, “Overall, this year’s National Night Out went quite smoothly. There was a lot of interest from the public, especially the kids. It’s great to see the community come out and support each other.”

The emergency services parade was held at 3 p.m. rather than 4 p.m. as in previous years. The time change was responsible for the amount of people who visited the park throughout the day, Bell said.

Bell said that it takes approximately six months to plan and organize for National Night Out.

The event that drew the biggest crowd this year was the simulated accident scene that involved a drunk driver and a school bus. Aid was tendered by the Oak Harbor Fire Department, North Whidbey Fire and Rescue, NAS Whidbey Fire Department, and the Whidbey General Hospital paramedics.

Oak Harbor Fire Battalion Chief Ray Merrill informed the crowd about what was happening at the accident scene.

“I thought the simulated accident scene went really well. The interagency cooperation worked really great. We were really happy to be there for National Night Out,” Merrill said.

In addition, Merrill said the time frames in which the extrication of