Junior Fire Chiefs filled the truck bays at the BWG Fire & Emergency Headquarters on Thursday night, for the annual Fire Prevention Week Open House.
The family-oriented event invited kids to take a tour through the new Fire Safety House, hug Sparky the Fire Dog, pose for photos inside the fire trucks, and enter a coloring contest, for a chance to win “fun fire safety surprises.”
There were free refreshments, a table filled with giveaways, and plenty of firefighters on hand, to hand out red or pink fire helmets, and lend a hand with a firehose, as young would-be firefighters put out the wooden ‘flames’ painted on a wooden house.
With all of the energy and fun, there was also a serious side to the open house. The theme of this year’s Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 6-12, is ‘Not Every Hero Wears a Cape – Plan and Practice Your Escape!’ – urging families to develop a home escape plan in case of fire.
That involves knowing every possible exit, both windows and doors, planning an escape route and practicing a fire drill with the whole family at least twice a year.
Assign a meeting place, once everyone is out of the home – and once out, stay out. When the smoke alarm sounds, residents may have less than two minutes to escape before flashover occurs.
Once outside, call 911 to alert Fire & Emergency Services.
And most importantly, always make sure smoke alarms are in good working order: they play a critical role in saving lives.
The Fire Prevention Week Open House was designed to introduce the fire department to the community, an opportunity to have fun - and “hopefully learn something,” said Chief Kevin Gallant.
