THUNDER BAY — Thunder Bay Fire Rescue opened the doors of its Vickers Street fire hall on Saturday to celebrate the end of fire prevention week in the city.
Fire trucks, the water hose and other equipment were out on display as well as a Superior North EMS ambulance. Fire safety swag was available for families to take home and local author Jean E. Pendziwol was giving readings of her children’s fire safety book No Dragons for Tea, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.
Teaching fire safety to children is a key part of fire prevention week, said Kevin Anderson, fire prevention captain with Thunder Bay Fire Rescue.
“We still have about 100 fire deaths per year in Ontario,” he said. “We’re trying to change those stats. The best way to do that is to start young, teach them to have working smoke alarms, have evacuation plans and hopefully we can reduce those numbers.”
Having people come in to the firehouse is also fun for the firefighters as they normally receive multiple calls for service per day.
“They call us when things go bad,” said Anderson. “This is something where we can enjoy ourselves, teach kids fire safety and have a fun afternoon.”
