Tulare police, firefighters help grant girl's wish to become first responder for a day

TULARE, Calif. (KFSN) -- A South Valley girl with leukemia got the chance to live out her dream job by becoming a first responder for the day.

Tulare police and firefighters showed Ellie the ropes on Wednesday through the Make-A-Wish program.

The program organizers said Ellie gets excited every time she hears a sire and sees a police car or fire engine. She has always admired police officers and firefighters.

The day kicked off with a police escort from her home to the station. She then received her very own uniform and tried her hand at dispatch.

From there, it was off to the fire station, where she was treated to a tour of the firehouse and plenty of activities.

She even took part in her own training exercise, putting out a "fire."

"They see her light up when she sees different things, experiences different things," said Ashley Sodergren with Make-A-Wish. "It's making our hearts full at the same time, and it's a wonderful opportunity to give back to the community."

In between her police and fire training, Ellie was treated to a lunch featuring all her favorites - pizza, Oreos and sprite.

At the end of the day, she was dropped back home in a limo.