Today was the last day of Fire Prevention Week, which ran from October 9-15, 2011. The Central York Fire Services Annual Open House in Aurora was also held today on October 15, 2011. This year’s theme was “Protect Your Family From Fire.” The Aurora Open House took place at Wellington Street, Aurora Station 4-4.
Despite the windy, cold, rainy day, I think the event proved to be very successful. It was very busy. Visitors, especially parents with children, were coming in and going out constantly.
For us, it was an unexpected drop-in. We were on our way to Walmart and got stuck in traffic just before Leslie Street. It only took a few seconds to figure out what was going on. Next, “can we go on the train ride, please?” Matthew asked. Okay, after our quick shopping.
So we were driving, but it’s raining. We asked ourselves if we should go or not. Matthew kept insisting. It was raining and very windy. We decided to go.
The Tim Horton train was picking up passengers from the Stronach Aurora Recreation Complex (SARC) and riding to Station 4-4 on Wellington. We skipped that ride because there were too many people waiting. The train itself had only four wagons. The wait time was about 10-15 minutes between rides – not a very fast train.
At the entrance we were greeted by Sparky the Fire Dog.
Inside the fire station was packed but definitely warmer. There were lots of fun activities for children and goodies, including fire hats and colouring pages.
Abundance of materials on safety and preparedness. Knowledgeable personnel ready to assist. Complimentary informational brochures.
Something we did not try, the fire truck potting golf.
If I remember correctly, there were three fire trucks on display. There was also a 1926 International Lorne Pumper, a historic unit. I did not ask what year the truck was from, but the license plate read ONT 26, 138 529. The truck can definitely drive as it had new tires and a current license plate.
Due to the increasing rain and wind, we skipped some activities outside. I wanted Matthew to try the fire hose, but at some point, it was knocked down by the wind.
As we ran to line up for the train at the pretend train station, I also noticed a display of cars involved in the accident. It would have been nice to see it up close and get some explanation. The rain and wind kept us moving though.
We lined up for the Tim Horton Express train. It was about a 5-minute wait. It continued to rain, and the wind was blowing hard. We were lucky, Matthew got the last seat on the train. My heart sometimes breaks when I see how much those things make him happy. Just look at his face.
It seemed like a lot of organization and work went into launching the Open House at the Aurora Fire Station 4-4. Well done, everyone. We enjoyed it, and I am sure that everyone else did too.
