Record crowds attend fire station's open house

Engines rolled through the streets of Mountain Home carrying passengers throughout the evening's event. Photo by Brian S. Orban

Record crowds packed into the city's main fire station to enjoy an evening of fun during an open house Thursday evening.

Held in conjunction with National Fire Prevention Week, the annual event wrapped up a series of activities in local-area schools aimed at spreading fire safety messages.

The longest running public health and safety observance on record, it commemorates the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 that killed more than 250 people and left more than 100,000 others homeless, according to the National Fire Protection Association.

Rebekah Holliday helps Nataleigh Lewis try on a child's fire helmet during the Mountain Home Fire Department's annual open house. Photo by Brian S. Orban

"We had an unbelievable turnout this year" that easily exceeded last year's record crowd of more than 1,600 people, said Mountain Home Fire Chief Phil Gridley. People were already standing in line next to Fire Station 1 as early as 5 p.m. for a chance to meet with local firefighters and to ride on one of the department's trucks.

In addition to handing out hundreds of fire safety pamphlets and other information, the station also served 1,000 half pints of milk donated by the United Dairy Association of Idaho.

Meanwhile, youngsters like Gabriel Holtz were able to enjoy the nearly 1,700 cookies served during the event.

"We ran out of cookies and goodies early on," the fire chief said. "I didn't even have a pencil left to hand out."

Sunny skies and warmer temperatures encouraged people like Wendy Wilson to stand in line for a half hour or more to attend the event.

"We come early every year," Wilson said as she held her son, Landon, who was preparing to take his first fire engine ride. "It's fun for the kids and educational for them as well. It teaches them not to be afraid of the firefighters and trucks."

Youngsters like Abby Hensley specifically came to the event "so we could ride on the trucks," she said. "I'm excited to do this because it's fun."

Waiting lines for the free rides stretched for more than a block with the department continuing to roll down city streets until 8:30 p.m. For youngsters like Myles Jackson, they've become a yearly tradition.

"I've done it for three years in a row," he said following this year's trek. "It was great."

Waiting in line for a cookie, Eliana Pitts admitted she was a little nervous about these rides.

"It was kinda scary 'cause I'm afraid of heights," said Pitts, who rode with her family on top of one of the department's vehicles.

For others like Grace Goh and her son, Braydon, it was the first time they'd been able to participate in a fire prevention week activity. The family moved to Mountain Home from Singapore, and the fire station tour piqued their curiosity.

"I just wanted to bring the kids so they could experience this," she said. "We don't get to do this back in Singapore."

In addition to fire prevention, the yearly event gave other local organizations a chance to spread other safety messages. For example, it marked the second appearance in Mountain Home of Eddie the Eagle -- the mascot of a gun safety program sponsored by the National Rifle Association.

"The program teaches kids never to touch guns as a way to keep them safe," said Police Sgt. Stan Winings.

The city fire department posted photos and videos from the open house on its Web site at www.mhfd.us.