The Bonnyville Regional Fire Authority (BRFA) invited Lakeland residents to grab a burger and brush up on their fire safety at their annual Fire Prevention Open House.
The Bonnyville Fire Department was decked to the nines, displaying their full arsenal of trucks in the parking lot for the event on Tuesday, Oct. 10.
Hundreds of residents turned out for fire prevention fun.
“This is our chance to show off what we have here, through all of the equipment, and especially with the membership. People get to put a name to a face and see these are members of our community,” said Darryl Shyian, chief of the Bonnyville Fire Department Station 5.
Outside, attendees could freely inspect any of the equipment used by the BRFA, while kids took turns driving the mini fire truck.
Inside there were interactive activities, prizes, and burgers and hot dogs fresh off the grill. All of the fanfare was centered around one common theme, in accordance with National Fire Prevention Week.
At each and every station, volunteers from BRFA, were reminding families to plan an escape route and to always have two ways out of wherever they were, in the case of an emergency.
“There are a lot of one-on -one talks with the regional firefighters going on here. Knowing two ways out of anywhere is so important,” expressed Shyian. “A lot of people don't think about it if they're going to a concert, but 80 per cent of people will try to use the same exit they came in. It's better to take a minute, look for exits, and plan an escape.”
Shyian and his crew delivered the same message to local schools earlier the same day. It was clear the message was being well received by children and parents alike.
Many students rushed home from school to create brand new escape plans with their families, before coming to the open house to share them with BRFA firefighters.
“Actually, I've never had an escape plan before, but I was looking at the sheet my son got from school and he was saying ‘mum we should do this.' That's what we'll be doing tonight,” said Kristi Fauth, Bonnyille resident.
As a special treat, the RCMP were on-hand with their rollover simulator. They used the prop to show residents what can happen to someone who doesn't wear a seatbelt during a car accident.
BRFA also put on live burn demonstrations, showing how fast a grease fire can spread and making short work of their makeshift kitchen.
Youth in attendance found it hard to choose what their favourite part of the event was, but they had no trouble remembering the message of the day.
“The best part was driving the fire truck. No, actually it's the toys in the contest,” said Max Ference. “We also had an assembly earlier today and I learned a lot. The theme was, have an escape plan and always know two ways out. Now, my mom and dad are going to show me our escape routes.”
While residents, BRFA crews, RCMP officers, and local EMS mingled and enjoyed the festivities, Shyian took the time to share his gratitude for the continued support of the community.
“It feels really good to have everyone come out and support what we do. People could be doing anything else on a Tuesday, but they choose to come here. This is why we do the work we do.”
