The Moose Jaw Fire Department’s (MJFD) South Hill station on Lillooet Street rang with the clamour of hundreds of small voices on Oct. 12 as school tours resumed to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Fire Prevention Week.
“The quote for today is ‘Fire won’t wait, plan your escape,’” said Cathie Bassett, the MJFD public education officer. “That’s what Fire Prevention Week is all about this year, and it’s just trying to get families prepared for a possible fire.”
Firefighting rookie Max Pilsworth stepped into the shoes of Sparky the Fire Dog, donning the costume to take pictures with the groups touring the station throughout the day. There are demonstration stations with gear laid out and various hose attachments and nozzles to explain. A junior firefighter suited up at speed dozens of times to demonstrate the reaction time of the MJFD.
Two hapless, red-painted targets, one inside and one outside, were repeatedly blasted with fire hoses — not always accurately, but no one minded.
One five- or six-year-old — face very serious and wide-eyed — told a firefighter in passing “I love this! I’m going to be a firefighter!”
The children were not the only happy ones; firefighters, teachers, and parents were grinning and chatting about how nice the return to normality felt.
“It’s a lot of fun. It’s been busy, but it’s a lot of fun,” said Capt. Ian Clark between sessions. “There are a lot of kids coming through in a short amount of time. They want to see the fire trucks, they want to see Sparky, we’re offering them the experience of shooting the hoses, that sort of thing. We’re happy to do it.”
Clark explained to visiting students how to use 911 responsibly, that it is for emergencies only, and the basics of communicating with police, fire, and ambulance services.
“And just general fire safety,” he added. “If they’re in a situation where we’re coming into the building, to make sure and let us know where they are. Make lots of noise, don’t hide.”
“Having an escape plan is so important,” Bassett said. “You have to be prepared for these sorts of things … I believe that fire safety is a shared commitment.”
Bassett said the first two or three minutes of a fire are the responsibility of whoever is living in the residence. Structural fires can progress quickly — families need to be ready and alert to call 911 and leave the building by the time first responders arrive.
“I’m sure the fire safety messages were different back in (1922),” Bassett said. “We’re very fortunate now that we have the equipment we do, with smoke alarms and our fire department equipment. It’s amazing, really.
“The MJFD will get to a fire anywhere in Moose Jaw within five minutes. That’s from the time the call comes in. Most places, it’s maybe two minutes, depending on traffic and weather conditions. Again, that’s why I said it’s a shared commitment, because it depends on how soon we get the call.”
Janice Colven, vice-principal at William Grayson School, said her students were so excited to come to the fire hall and learn about fire fighting.
“We send out a big thank-you to our fire department and all our community helpers here in Moose Jaw,” she added.
