EXETER >> Watching too much “Chicago Fire” lately? Suffering from firefighter envy? Now’s your chance to get in on the action.
On Saturday, Oct. 14, the Exeter Township Fire Department will present its first “Firefighter for a Day” event.
“It’s an opportunity for residents to try on a firefighter’s bunker gear – including helmet, jacket and boots, climb behind the wheel of a fire truck, honk the horn and sound the siren,” said Christopher Jordan, Exeter Fire Department deputy chief and chairman of the event. “They will also have the opportunity to hold and squirt water from fire hoses.
During the event, which will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., a number of other firefighting activities will be held, including a 911 phone call “role play” event, a “stop-drop-and-roll” demonstration, a “stay-low-and-go” demonstration and a vehicle extrication, using volunteers from the audience as “victims.”
The company’s 95-foot tower ladder will be set up outside the station house for a demonstration of how it operates, including the use of the bucket at the top of the ladder.
In previous years, Exeter Fire Department held an annual event at its Reiffton station but, Jordan pointed out, it was basically an open house where firefighting vehicles were on display and the inside of the station was open for inspection.
“This year’s event is much more structured and is designed to give residents a hands-on opportunity to see what firefighters do,” he said.
Most of the program activities will be held at the Stonersville station at 5580 Boyertown Pike (Rt. 562) because the Stonersville station, which has more space, is better suited than the Reiffton station to accommodate the planned activities. The one exception is a live fire at the department’s training facility, a quarter-mile away, where firefighters will set a room on fire and extinguish the blaze.
A side objective of the event is to stimulate the interest of residents in volunteering for fire department membership, said Jordan.
“We figured that, through these up-close demonstrations, residents will have a much better idea of what we do; we hope that this may encourage interested individuals to join the fire company.”
Exeter Township Fire Department is one of the busiest fire companies in Berks County, responding to 1,100 to 1,200 emergency calls annually.
For further information, contact Christopher Jordan at cjordan@exetertwpfire25.com