Community responds eagerly to open house
BRAWLEY — The fifth annual fire department open house here was both fun and informative at Fire Station No. 2, Saturday reminding residents they are vital to fire safety.
This year so far, the fire department has had 1,793 calls. The vast majority were for medical aid that ranged from persons with high blood pressure experiencing atypical symptoms to full cardiac arrest emergencies remarked Mike York, fire captain at Station No. 1, while providing tours of his colleague’s station.
Rescue and emergency medical service are nearly 72 percent of calls. It is followed by good-intent calls of 12 percent, which are false alarms, appearing as an emergency such as smoke from a car with an overheated radiator. Meanwhile, fires are only six percent of total calls.
“We’ve run 103 fires this year in Brawley,” said York. “We do have a county response area that covers all the way to Glamis [Dunes] and up to Spreckels Sugar. This year we also responded for mutual aid seven times and have a strike team today in Napa County fighting the Nuns Fire.”
The open house ran from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and included free hot dogs, popcorn and face and rock painting as children earned prizes from the wheel of fortune and posed for photos with fire mascot, Sparky. But for Station No. 2 Chief Eloy Martinez, the most important thing was the Burn Institute’s Home Safety Trailer. It represents a typical residence with kitchen and bedroom that staged mock fires to demonstrate the proper response to an emergency.
Martinez reminds residents the most important thing is changing the batteries in smoke detectors twice a year, in the fall when clocks are set back to regular time and again in spring with Daylight Savings.
“We ask people to prepare and practice an escape plan from their home in case of fire,” said Martinez. “When you get out, stay out, don’t go back for anything. And have a safe location where all family members can meet.”
At the Home Safety Trailer Aaron Bonillas, a cadet with the Imperial Valley College Fire Academy, showed visitors the appropriate way to avoid hazards around the stove with a hot pot. He explained always keep combustible items such as paper towels, plates or matches away from the stove and stored in a cabinet. Also keep a fire extinguisher away from the stove, but in an easy place to quickly grab.
In a fire drill emergency, Nathaniel Villa, Witter Elementary School fourth-grader, was woken from the bedroom and taught to crouch down low and crawl to the nearest exit. But before Aaron opens a door, he needs to place a hand on the closed door to see if feels warm from flames burning on the other side. Door handles are unbearable during a fire.
Molly Garcia, brought her daughter Karissa and niece Desiree Silvas who enjoyed the open house. “It’s great, and the kids love the helicopter (REACH air ambulance) and spraying the fire hose,” she said.
Patricia Rhodes who brought her children Layo and Sienna Barraza, thought it was wonderful as well. “We need more events like this for the community,” she said. “The kids loved the fire truck, and it was very educational.”