Marcus Fabi takes a turn putting out a 'fire' with a pressure hose during Callander Fire Department's Sirens in the Park event Saturday. Photos by Dennis Chippa
Sirens wailed throughout the town of Callander most of the day Saturday.
There was no disaster.
Instead, there was a chance for area residents to learn to avoid one.
It was the Callander Fire Department’s fourth annual Sirens in the Park event.
Andrew Busch, who was in charge of the committee that put the event together, says Sirens in the Park has evolved from a locally focused fire department event to include literally dozens of partners and agencies.
“It started with a fire department only event where we spent thirty hours up on the roof of a mall downtown. We’re part of a national organization that ran a public awareness event. What we decided to do was make it more of a community event, more of a focus for what was important to us and our community. So we brought it into the park, we made it about our waterfront, we made it about all the great things we have here in Callander.”
This year the weather was great and the turnout was large.
Residents from not just Callander but all over the surrounding area took in displays from all of the Fire Department’s community and emergency partners.
Displays from the OPP ATV and Canine Unit, the North Bay Police Service, the Red Cross and the MNR firefighting team were just part of the group, which inlcluded several area fire departments, all on hand to provide information on every potential emergency situation that could arise,
Busch says the displays are designed in part to show the public who the Fire Department works with.
“They’re the people that we’re going to work with, in the event of an emergency, and it’s a great opportunity for us to show the community what we have to offer.”
“It’s an opportunity for our community to know all the agencies that work together to keep them safe and make them safe.”
There were lots of hands-on demonstrations, and every group had something to give away to families.
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There were other attractions for the little ones, as the event also included inflatables, food and the splash pad, all of which Busch says (only half jokingly) was a big part of the planning.
“We can bait them to come down to the park with bouncy castles and splash pads and cotton candy and popcorn. But we give them some education at the same time.”
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Families may have not only learned sometthing new, but also learned there were a lot of groups in the area who would be there for them if something happened.
