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Noting that October is Fire Prevention Month, personnel at the Norwood Park Fire Department hosted an open house at the Harwood Heights station on Oct. 2.
Attendance was steady on a sunny Sunday afternoon at the event at 7447 W. Lawrence Ave. The free, three-hour event took place both outside and inside the garage and building. The open house had been postponed for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’re really excited to have the community back, a community that has supported this firehouse for 80 years,” Norwood Park Fire Chief Dave Blondell said.
There were new events this year, Blondell said, including a “Close Before You Doze” campaign demonstration that encourages people to close bedroom doors before they go to sleep.
Closing a sleeping room door helps, “so that smoke and fire can’t get into your room,” Blondell said. “The kids really respond to this.”
Also new this year was a demonstration that showed the difference between a home that has a sprinkler system and a residence that does not. Firefighters used two large dioramas, about 10 feet high and just wider than a couch, that included a couch, small furniture, curtains and wall art.
The diorama that had no water sprinkler system sustained the most damage and became the more dangerous situation for the people in the setting. Firefighters pointed out that sofas tend to keep burning inside the upholstery after water douses the blaze in the room.
Blondell said the demonstration revealed, “how quickly fire spreads and the importance of having a sprinkled home, if you’re building a new home.”
The auto extrication also drew spectators. Personnel used the Jaws of Life to cut the roof off a car and to demonstrate how quickly firefighters can work to free a trapped person in an accident situation.
“We have very special equipment,” Blondell said. “We have guys who attend weeks and months and years of training to be really good at auto extrication.
“Our expectation is to get somebody out of the car in a matter of minutes and have them in a hospital setting within probably 15 to 20 minutes.”
Blondell said 500 regular and high-dose seasonal flu shots—the latter batch for people aged 65 and older—were available and sponsored by Norwood Park Township at no cost to residents.
“Residents in our town need to understand that we’re more than just a fire department,” Blondell said. “We handle fire, EMS (emergency medical services), rescue, hazardous materials, high-rise rescue, we do everything and we’re here today to show them that.
“If you have a non-criminal emergency, the fire department, Norwood Park fire EMS is who you call because we’ll come and try to help you,” Blondell said.
Inside the firehouse, free hot dogs donated by Twins Gyros of Harwood Heights were popular. There were also free taffy apples.
Also free were opportunities to pet therapy dogs provided by Rainbow Animal Assisted Therapy of Morton Grove.
Therapy dog Bear, 4, a male golden retriever, was handled by volunteer Sandi Hensley. Bear wore a small fire hat for the special occasion to greet people of all ages.
Therapy dogs, “are very calming, they’re very joyful,” Hensley said. “They do make a difference.”
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Luciana Bratko, 11, of Norridge, AnnaLisa Santoro-Cotton, 11, of Norridge, AnnaLisa’s mother Gina Santoro, Norwood Park Fire Department trustee, and Aryana Hernandez, 11, of Schiller Park, staffed a table to sell red t-shirts to benefit Rainbow Animal Assisted Therapy.
“I’m very proud of these girls volunteering with the community,” Gina Santoro said.
Elizabeth Molik of Park Ridge attended with children Lucas, 2, Isabella, 5, a kindergartner, and Gabriella, 6, a first-grader.
The children’s mother hoped the siblings would learn, “fire prevention, fire safety,” Elizabeth Molik said, adding, “and I think some of them (Lucas) want to be a firefighter when they grow up.”
