By Madison Butkus
Hometown Weekly Reporter
The Westwood Fire Department (WFD) opened their doors for an open house where family and friends were welcomed to check out the facility.
WFD Mascot Sparky, along with fellow Firefighters, welcomed everyone into the event with bright smiles on their faces. Sparky, a dalmatian dog, was dressed in his own fire department uniform, including a dashing yellow hat.
Located right outside the station were their fire trucks all lined up with all the doors open for children to hop in and explore. It was the perfect photo opportunity for any parent. Alongside the fire trucks was an ambulance that little ones were also welcome to explore. Some were quite hesitant at first about the experience, but once they talked with the firefighters and explored the space, parents had a hard time getting their young ones to leave.
In between looking at all the trucks, one could help themselves to some pizza and other sweet treats. There were some Junior Firefighter hats for kids to take as well as some stickers and other souvenirs. In the back of the station, kids and their guardians could try out the fire hose and put out a “fire” that was made out of wood.
Seen talking with children and handing out souvenirs was Firefighter Anthony Burke. When talking about this open house event, he stated, “We have been doing this kind of event at Westwood Day for about the last six years and about ten/fifteen years ago we used to have it every year here… We wanted to bring it back because it's a pride thing for us to do. We get to show everybody what we do, how we do it and why we love doing it. The kids and the parents get to come in and see their Firefighters at work.”
This year is also a bit different as the WFD is asking residents to vote for funding a new station at the existing site. The Westwood Townhall website went on to state, “Fire Station 1 is undersized, outdated, inaccessible and was not built to support the weight of today’s apparatus. The facility was built 75 years ago and has not undergone a major renovation since 1975. In its current state, FS1 no longer meets the needs of the Westwood Fire Department or the community, and the building’s structural issues pose a significant risk to the safety of firefighters and visitors.” The vote will be conducted at the next spring’s town meeting.
