As ambulances and fire engines came roaring on to the field, the apparently intoxicated driver swayed and slurred his account of the accident to police. Paramedics placed a sheet over the body of a child in the front seat of the man’s car.

The fatal accident was staged, but the effects of it were real. The boy who played dead, David Punch, did such a good job his father began to sob at the image of his son on the floor of the car.

This demonstration, along with other information and knowledge was part of Oak Harbor’s National Night Out on Tuesday at City Beach Park. The event, which has the theme of “get to know your neighbor,” is a movement to increase knowledge of the resources available to keep streets and communities safe.

“It was just a good exchange of information,” event organizer Myron Brundage said.

The event drew members of the community and those responsible for protecting them together for an evening of networking and communication. The fire department, law enforcement agencies and Whidbey Island Naval Air Station security were on hand to demonstrate their tools and their people to the community.

“It’s the opportunity to see up close the people who take care of us,” Brundage said. “It was an interaction of the community and service groups.”

The message of safety was made clear during the accident simulation, in which a drunk driver hit a passing car, killing one and injuring three people in the other car.

“That really made a big impact on people,” Brundage said.

The dead boy was carried out on a stretcher with a sheet covering his body.

“When you see a young kid come out of a car and they throw a sheet over him, that makes a big statement,” Brundage said. “It was pretty darn real.”

The realism was amplified when half of the crew participating in the exercise had to depart in a hurry to respond to a real call for help in Oak Harbor.

“Their job keeps going,” Brundage said. “It doesn’t stop just because they’re participating in something.”

This is the event’s 20th year, and it has gotten bigger each year. Brundage said the number of booths and participants was higher than in previous years, although attendance was down. For being on a weeknight, the attendance was higher than he thought, he said.

Brundage is also stepping down as event organizer to focus on the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. He said he is looking for someone to take over National Night Out.