It’s been a long time since the township fire department opened its stations to the public, something that usually coincided with National Fire Prevention Week in early October.
This year, Delran goes one step further, acknowledging October as National Fire Prevention Month. And for the first time since 2018, residents will be able to tour the stations again during an open house next month.
“We’re very excited,” said Cpt. Joseph Cunningham Jr. “We’re always community driven, but when we get to have people in our house, it’s something special. Not a lot of people truly understand what we do and what goes into it, but to be able to educate them and have them see first hand what we do is rewarding in itself.”
Along with the open house, the department will again visit schools in the township, holding presentations and handing out bags of materials kids can use to practice fire safety in their own homes.
The open house will enable people to tour the fire stations, go inside the different vehicles on display, see other equipment the department uses on calls and get more information about fire safety in general. This year’s open house will be held on Oct. 22 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“It’s a way to continue to educate the public more,” Cunningham explained. “We want to prevent fires as much as we can and we emulate that during this month.”
Even though the open house hasn’t been hosted since 2018, it previously went on for decades and has been well attended by Delran residents. The largest demographic the department wants to reach is the young, hence the school demonstrations and more hands-on activities for kids at the open house.
“It’s rewarding to see the kids get excited as they get when we show up, but we’ll see people at events throughout the township, and I’m always surprised at how much the kids remember,” Cunningham noted.
“It’s the little things that they retain, and they certainly remember us.”
Check the fire department website or its social media pages for more information.
