Siloam Springs Fire Department is opening its doors to the community on Saturday for a day of family fun and safety education.
The free open house will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Station No. 1, located at 1450 Cheri Whitlock Drive. It will include a chance to tour the station, fire trucks and new training tower, meet firefighters and paramedics, free food, children's activities, pictures with fire trucks and Sparky the fire dog, and educational information about CPR and fire safety, according to Fire Marshal Dustin Kindell.
The event caps off National Fire Prevention Week, said Deputy Chief John Vanatta. The department is also celebrating the week by visiting local schools and giving tours of the fire stations, he said.
The open house will be a good opportunity to see where firefighters train, live and work, Kindell said. It will also include hands-only CPR instruction for children and adults, and will help educate the public about fire safety, smoke detectors and Firewise, a national program that educates people on how to protect their homes against the threat of wildfire, Kindell said.
One highlight of the open house will be a chili cook-off competition between the department's three shifts, Kindell said. In addition to free hamburgers and hot dogs, community members will have a chance to cast their vote on which shift makes the best chili, he said.
Children's activities will include face painting and a junior firefighters' obstacle course, where kids can try out scaled down versions of some of the obstacles firefighters train on, he said.
General News on 10/09/2019