COLD LAKE - Families in Cold Lake had the opportunity to learn about fire safety during a guided tour of the Downtown Cold Lake Fire Rescue Station on Sep. 26.
The event, hosted by the Cold Lake Family and Community Support Services (FCSS), ran from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., giving attendees a hands-on look at the station and a chance to meet the firefighters who keep the community safe.
“We just have the opportunity for families to come and learn a little bit about fire prevention in their home. They also get an opportunity to just talk with our firefighters about what their roles are in the community and how the fire trucks are working,” said Tanya Wilson, Family Resource Network Facilitator for Cold Lake and District FCSS.
"It also gives the chance for little future firefighters to ask all their questions,” Wilson explained.
Although Fire Prevention Week runs from Oct. 6-12, the tour took place earlier to avoid overwhelming the firefighters during a busy time of the year.
“We try not to overwhelm them during that month because they do a lot of school presentations and they have their open house next month as well,” Wilson said.
The tours were well received, with both sessions reaching full capacity – there was even a waitlist.
“We had two tours booked... and we had waitlists of families that weren’t able to come because we do have a cap of 30 participants per visit, just because that’s the size of their classroom for presentation purposes.”
For families who could not take part in the Sept. 26 tours, Wilson highlighted another opportunity to visit the fire stations. Cold Lake Fire Rescue will be hosting an open house on Oct. 8 at both the North and South fire halls as part of Fire Prevention Week.
The tours are part of a broader effort to educate families about fire safety.
“Anyone can book a tour. Schools can book tours as well. For us, we mostly just have families who have kiddos,” Wilson said, adding that it is a valuable experience for children.
The tour allowed families to learn about fire prevention, see the trucks in action, and take educational materials home with them.
“It’s just the educational portion of it to keep families a little more aware of how to keep their homes safe in case of an emergency,” Wilson said.
Parents were encouraged to take home brochures and other resources to reinforce the safety messages shared during the tour.
“It’s all about the preventative nature of making sure that your families are safe,” she said.
