ESTEVAN - The Estevan Fire Rescue Service was looking forward to interacting with the community during the annual Fire Prevention Week from Oct. 9-15.
The department will host an open house at its fire hall on Oct. 11. The fire department invited the public to come down to the fire hall, enjoy tours of the station, view the firefighters’ equipment and enjoy promotional efforts for Fire Prevention Week.
There was also a barbecue and drinks available. A silver collection was taken.
Fire Chief Rick Davies said they were looking forward to having the open house for the first time since 2019.
“We’ve had a hiatus in the last couple of years of doing anything because of COVID,” said Davies. “We just thought it would be best to take the opportunity. We’ve got some new equipment and stuff like that in here, so people can come in. We thought maybe it would be easier to get as many people in here and talk to them versus us trying to go out.”
In the past, the fire department had a smoke alarm program, in which the firefighters went out into the community to test smoke alarms, but it focused on certain areas at a time.
The fire department has some school tours of their building booked throughout the week as well.
Davies said the department is looking forward to showcasing their fire hall to the community once again.
“It’s always exciting when we can do stuff like this,” he said.
This year’s theme is “Fire Won’t Wait. Plan your Escape.” Davies said the focus will be on having a home escape plan for families, establishing a meeting place in case they have to evacuate, and knowing two ways out of the home in case of fire.
“One of the common themes that we’re hearing more and more these days is that newer construction, newer houses, newer buildings burn faster and hotter than they did back in the day. So, having that pre-plan where you know what to do in the event of an emergency, it’s just better.”
Davies noted this year marks the 100th year of offering Fire Prevention Week for the National Fire Protection Association.
