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Cape Fire Department to hold open house

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Residents are invited to meet their Cape Coral firefighters during an open house Saturday.

The Cape Coral Fire Depart-ment will host the citywide meet-and-greet at all 10 fire stations from 9 a.m. to noon. It is the fifth year that the department has held the event for residents and families.

“It’s really important to let the public know where their fire stations are, what their firefighters and what the fire stations provide them,” Andrea Schuch, the spokeswoman for the CCFD, said.

Firefighters do not just respond to fires, they are tasked with everything from providing emergency medical services and dealing with hazardous materials incidents, to rescuing dogs from canals.

“They offer so many services that the public probably doesn’t know about,” she said. “We don’t just wait around for a house to catch fire. We’re always responding to calls.”

Along with meeting the firefighters assigned to their neighborhood station, residents will have an opportunity to see the fire trucks used by their station, as well as the apparatus and equipment.

“They can tour the station house, as well,” Schuch said. “Everyone’s very interested to see – since they’re on for 24 hours – how the firefighters live at their station.”

Children and families will be permitted to take photographs with the fire trucks.

“We will also have volunteers on site, who will be providing fire safety material,” she said.

There will be literature and coloring books available, as well as Junior Firefighter stickers and fire hats. Schuch explained that the materials can help jumpstart a discussion about fire safety among families.

The open house is the culminating event for national Fire Prevention Week, set Oct. 5-11. This year’s theme for Fire Prevention Week is “Working Smoke Alarms Save Lives: Test Yours Every Month!”

She noted that information on smoke alarms will be available at the open house.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, working alarms double the chance of surviving a home fire. Almost two-thirds of home fire deaths were in homes with no working alarms or alarms.

“In a fire, seconds count,” Fire Chief Donald Cochran said in a prepared statement.

“Roughly half of home fire deaths result from fires reported at night between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., when most people are asleep,” he continued. “Home smoke alarms can alert people to a fire before it spreads, giving everyone enough time to get out.”

Schuch encouraged residents to come out Saturday as there is something for everyone.

“It’s very important to know what the fire station has to offer and the needs that it can meet for the community,” she said. “It’s important to know that fires can still happen.”

Last year, between 400 and 500 people attended the open house. About 1,000 people showed in 2012.

“Hopefully, (we get) about 800 people this year,” Schuch said. “I would love more.”

For more information about national Fire Prevention Week or fire safety, visit the National Fire Protection Association’s website online at: www.firepreventionweek.org.