Montreal’s fire department will be hosting open houses at local stations every Saturday for the next four weeks.
Excited children and parents arrived in big numbers Saturday morning for the kick-off at Station 50 in Rosemont-La Petite Patrie.
Activities, safety tips and prevention will be taught from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., rain or shine.
“(The children) really like it here, a lot of kids their first dream job is to be a fireman — it’s a great experience for everybody,” said Montreal fire department Chief Patrick Fournel.
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For parent Gisela Scalia, bringing her son Alessio to the event was a no-brainer.
“When I told him this morning, he was like, ‘yes let’s go, mommy, I wanna see the fire station and the fire trucks,” said Scalia.
The event includes an interactive fire simulation aimed at educating parents and children on how to escape a blaze.
“It simulates a fire, so we teach kids, younglings and adults how if you wake up and your fire alarm is not working, the best thing to do is to go on all fours and exit to the closest exit as fast as possible,” said Fournel.
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For parents, this is a great opportunity to teach their children about fire safety.
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“We came here to show her that, in case of emergency, firefighters are there to help,” said parent Alain Parisienne. “My daughter is really fascinated by firefighters. We came to look around at the station, meet the firefighters and just have a good time.”
This year’s theme is smoke detectors and evacuations plans.
“Have a functioning smoke alarm at home, so if it’s with a battery, make sure you replace it regularly,” said Fournel. “When we change the time, we change the battery. Check it regularly with the test button, and plan an evacuation plan with the family.”
Children get the chance to participate in an obstacle course where they’re rewarded with hats and colouring books.
The Montreal fire department will be opening its doors from Sept. 28 to Oct. 19.
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