The Dartmouth YMCA parking lot was kicked into a cacophony of emergency vehicle sirens and indecipherable shouts over police car loudspeakers last Saturday. However, the raucous noise didn’t signal an emergency.

The Touch-a-Truck event, held in conjunction with this year’s Healthy Kids Day, enabled young children to pile into various vehicles, have their photos taken in the driver’s seat and lay on the horn a little.

Sam Fagundes, program director of the YMCA, said the idea was to give kids a different perspective on the trucks.

“Usually they see them driving by and they’re fascinated with them, but now they can actually sit in them,” Fagundes said, adding that kids especially enjoy checking out the various equipment lining the emergency vehicles.

“We’re also showcasing some of the programs that we offer throughout the year,” said Fagundes. “We have Zumba going on and storytelling yoga, which will be a preschool program in the fall for children two and up.”

There was also a rock climbing wall, free food and a punchcard offered where kids could win a prize if they visited a specific number of trucks. Admission to the event was free with a donation of adult underwear or socks, which went to charity.

Dartmouth Police Officer Steven Canario brought his freshly cleaned police truck to the event to allow kids to hop into the back. Many parents remarked that they hoped it would be the first and only time they'd see their kids in the back of a cruiser.

“We want the kids to be friendly with us, come to us when they need something and not be afraid of any situation where we’re present,” Canario said.

Sarah Caruso, who brought her two young sons, described the event as “a Shangri-La for little boys.”

Nathan Galipeau, 4, amid a flurry of wailing sirens, said he was especially fond of the cement truck.

“It was my favorite because I got to beep!” said Galipeau.