By Madison Butkus
Hometown Weekly Reporter
In honor of Fire Prevention Week, the Walpole Fire Department (WFD) opened their doors for an open house on Saturday, October 14th. Family and friends were welcomed to check out the facility and even enjoy some light refreshments too!
Walpole Firefighters stood by the entrance to welcome people into what can only be described as a very successful open house. Their fire trucks were lined up with all the doors open for kiddos 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 kiddos to take as well as some bracelets and other souvenirs.
Chief of Department, Paul Barry, was seen educating those in attendance about fire safety and the different parts of the trucks. When talking about the open house, Barry mentioned, “This all started with Fire Prevention Week. We try to let the kids come on in and explore the area. It’s pretty cool, you see some of them come in all nervous and tentative, some of them smaller than the tires on the apparatus. By the time they are ready to go, they are begging their parents to stay. It is such a cool experience to watch the kids grow an interest in what we do. This is our way of saying hi to the community and thanking them for their ongoing support. We like to show them what they have provided us and answer any questions that they might have. This facility is on the newer side, built in 2018, and we are really grateful for it. This is a great way to showcase it for the community.”
Before heading out, families could grab “A Trip to the Fire Station : An Educational Coloring & Activity Book” to learn more about fire safety tips and tricks. All in all, smiling faces were seen all throughout the day and the Walpole Fire Department had a great turnout for their open house!
