Wilmette residents who want to mix family fun with fire education can find both at the 2017 Wilmette Fire Station open house, set to run from 9 a.m. until noon Oct. 14 at Fire Station 26, 1304 Lake Ave., according to organizers.
This year, the department will feature two new demonstrations, Deputy Chief Robert Brill said.
“We have an auto extrication demonstration planned, and we’re also going to have a rappelling demonstration, where firefighters will be rappelling off our ladder truck,” Brill said.
The extrication demonstration will show viewers how firefighters use various techniques to cut apart a car to rescue someone inside, including a demonstration of the “Jaws of Life” equipment, according to the department.
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Children should bring their teddy bears or other dolls to the open house so the department’s trained paramedics can perform a “check up” on them, Brill said: “That way they can experience what it would be like to be a patient.”
The open house will also feature a visit from Sparky the Fire Dog, as well as displays of fire trucks, firefighting and paramedic equipment, and special rescue equipment, according to the department.
The open house caps Fire Prevention Week, which, according to the National Fire Protection Association, takes place annually in the same week that commemorates the Oct. 8-9 Great Chicago Fire of 1871.
Brill said the Wilmette department will have educational material at the open house with information on how to plan exit routes from a home, as well as how to do a basic home inspection.
Residents can access the home inspection information online as well, he said, by going to the fire department tab at www.wilmette.com, and clicking first on “Public Education and Services” on the drop down menu, then “Fire Department open house” and “home life safety survey.”
Open house visitors can park for free in Wilmette’s downtown Metra lot, next to the fire station, department officials said.
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