Philomath Fire and Rescue will welcome the community to Station 201 on Main Street Saturday for an open house and health fair that organizers say is about much more than showing off fire engines.
The event, co-hosted with Strengthening Rural Families, runs from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and will bring together multiple community organizations to connect residents with local resources and safety education.
“We’re just a stronger community when we’re out there and thinking about some of these issues and helping our neighbors access the kind of supports and resources that they have available right here in their hometown,” said Paul Smith, Strengthening Rural Families executive director. “That’s really the big takeaway.”
For Fire Chief Chancy Ferguson, the event is an opportunity to show the community that the fire department’s role extends far beyond emergency response.
“We want the public to know that we are eager to serve and we are more than just the 911 call that responds to their incident,” Ferguson said. “We teach CPR, we go and do school programs, we have the open house — any way that we can serve the public and put that message out on public safety is the goal.”
The partnership between the two organizations has proven beneficial for reaching a broader audience. Smith said Philomath Fire and Rescue has a strong footprint in the community and combining forces allows both organizations to expose residents to a wider range of resources.
“We share some overlap but we also bring in different parts of the community, which is super advantageous in terms of exposing the resources and the different things available to community members,” Smith said.
This year’s event will feature representatives from various organizations who will discuss safety issues relevant to families and households.
“We’ve really appreciated the tie to some more of the safety issues that come up for families and households as a result of the partnership,” Smith said. “Beyond Philomath Fire and Rescue, we’ve had folks there from the power company or with the railroad talking about those kinds of safety issues. There’s some real advantage to that kind of experiential learning environment that occurs.”
One of the event’s most popular attractions remains the fire engine rides.
“The public seems to love them,” Ferguson said. “It gives them a chance to get a feel for what it’s like to be on a fire engine and hopefully for us, it’s a recruitment tool both for the kids in the future and some of the adults there.”
The “dress the firefighter” activity serves an important educational purpose, helping young children become comfortable around firefighters in full gear.
“It’s really a chance for our young kiddos in the community to get used to being around a firefighter that’s wholly dressed in gear,” Ferguson said. “The last thing that we want during an incident is for them to be scared and hide from us. We kind of just get to put a face to the person behind the SCBA (self-contained breathing apparatus) mask and the gear.”
Attendees will also have the opportunity to learn hands-only CPR, a skill Ferguson said takes only two minutes to learn but could save a life.
“It’s a chance for our residents to come and meet face-to-face and talk with our firefighters and get to know them,” Ferguson said. “It’s important for our firefighters and community to recognize each other and be comfortable with each other.”
Another educational activity that could go toward saving a person’s life is how to administer hands-only CPR. Ferguson welcomes any opportunity to “meet with the public and teach that skill and get it out there” and added that it takes two minutes to learn.
Smokey Bear and Sparky the Fire Dog will be on hand for the fun and Ferguson said there will also be games for youngsters, including the opportunity to spray a fire hose.
Food will be available for purchase at the event. Organizers said 3 Potato More will be on site and if weather conditions allow, Mud Oven Pizza plans to participate.
Smith emphasized that the event serves to strengthen community bonds beyond just providing information and resources.
“Having these opportunities for people to feel like they’re connected to the community and each other in a different way, I think this event serves that purpose,” Smith said.
