Fire Departments Hold, Plan Safety Open Houses

Fire departments in El Centro, Kenora, the Allentown area, Champaign and Syracuse used community open houses to connect residents with firefighters and teach fire and emergency safety. Events offered station tours, demonstrations, hands-on activities and opportunities for families to explore emergency vehicles; Woodlawn also unveiled a new rehabilitation vehicle. Officials emphasized maintaining working smoke alarms, placing carbon monoxide detectors near sleeping areas, and practicing safe charging of lithium-ion batteries, including using approved chargers and keeping devices off beds and couches. Syracuse firefighters also demonstrated responses to household emergencies, such as a small grease fire, while El Centro’s activities taught children traffic safety and basic rescue skills.