Free family events feature safety, fire prevention tips and fun
Spot the firedog was popular at last year's Family Fire Muster.
LAKEWOOD – Two of the summer’s most popular annual – and free – family events, the West Metro Fire/Rescue District’s Family Fire Muster and the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Safety Fair are on back-to-back weekends this months.
And both are at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds.
The first of the two, the Family Fire Muster will be Saturday, Aug. 21, from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event, in its 17th year, originally was scheduled for June 8, but rainy and cool weather forced a postponement.
The Safety Fair follows the next weekend, Saturday, Aug. 28, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
At the Fire Muster, West Metro staff and volunteers will show youngsters the ropes of fire-fighting, including escaping from a “smoke” filled room, how to get a proper fit with bike helmets and life jackets, fire prevention and injury prevention. The first 1,000 youngsters visiting the Teddy Bear Clinic will get a free stuffed animal. The young “firefighters-for-a-day” will also wield fire hoses, aiming live streams of water at a “wildland fire” target, don official firefighter outfits in a race and cruise around a tricycle safety course with traffic signals and safety messages.
They can also climb aboard the big rig fire trucks for a hands-on experience.
In addition to the West Metro activities, more than a dozen other health and safety agencies will offer free giveaways and personal safety information.
“We want the families to come out, be together, have the chance to experience a bunches of fun venue and a safe venue, but really get to see the public safety components we have Jefferson County,” said West Metro Fire Chief Douglas McBee. “They get a chance to meet firefighters and other emergency responders in a real positive light here trying to help them as opposed to just seeing them at their house (during an emergency). It’s not just family-friendly, but pro-educational.”
The muster began in 1994 when what then was the Lakewood-Bancroft Fire Authority, recognizing the fascination big red fire trucks spark in kids of all ages, rolled its fire-fighting equipment and other emergency vehicles to the parking lot of Carmody Recreation Center. Several hundred people showed up to get a closer look at the vehicles and visit with fire fighters.
The Fire Authority later became West Metro, and the Muster continued, and in 1997 turned it’s focus to offering families a free, fun and informative event to kick off their summer.
The West Metro Fire Rescue Family Fire Muster is presented by a number of partners, including St. Anthony Hospitals, Foothills Credit Union, Texas Roadhouse, Comcast and www.YourHub.com .
The DA’s Safety Fair also has a number of attractions for the youngsters, including a bicycle rodeo with a free helmet for each participating youngster. There also will be fingerprint and DNA kits for kids, hugs from the crime-fighting dog McGruff, air castles as well as big boats and fast cars for the youngsters to examine up-close.
For the adults, the Safety Fair will offer free small electronics recycling, document shredding, and prescription recycling. Folks also can get a free credit report, printed on-site and consultation with bank officers.
The event also will feature more than 65 booths, live safety presentations and demonstrations. Food also will be available at the Safety Fair, which also is sponsored by 9News, 1stBank, Seniors’ Resource Center, A-1 Electronics Recycling, Iron Mountain, Wells Fargo Bank, SaveAndInvest.org, The Prime Time for Seniors and Home Instead Senior Care.
