Blazing trails at the Mattapoisett Fire Department Open House
Vincent Bradley, 6, of Mattapoisett climbs on top of a vintage fire vehicle. Photos by Grace Ann Natanawan
A vintage firetruck on display at the Mattapoisett Fire Department Open House.
Winnie Clark, 9, of Mattapoisett smiles with Sparky the Fire Dog.
Ambrose Bradley, 3, and Rosie Bradley, 9, of Mattapoisett sit and pose in front of a vintage firetruck.
Open house attendees climb into a Mattapoisett Fire Department boat.
Mattapoisett residents pack the open house to learn about fire safety.
Wyatt Mare, 4, of Mattapoisett wields a fire hose.
Free pizza is given out to open house attendees.
Vincent Bradley, 6, of Mattapoisett climbs on top of a vintage fire vehicle. Photos by Grace Ann Natanawan
A vintage firetruck on display at the Mattapoisett Fire Department Open House.
Winnie Clark, 9, of Mattapoisett smiles with Sparky the Fire Dog.
Ambrose Bradley, 3, and Rosie Bradley, 9, of Mattapoisett sit and pose in front of a vintage firetruck.
Open house attendees climb into a Mattapoisett Fire Department boat.
Mattapoisett residents pack the open house to learn about fire safety.
Wyatt Mare, 4, of Mattapoisett wields a fire hose.
Free pizza is given out to open house attendees.
MATTAPOISETT — Families were fired up at the Mattapoisett Fire Department’s open house on Thursday, Oct. 9.
According to Fire Chief Andrew Murray, the event draws about 400 to 500 people each year and gives the department the opportunity to educate residents about fire safety while introducing them to the firefighters that keep the town safe.
“[This event] kind of brings everybody together and gives us an opportunity to get fire safety messages,” he said.
The annual open house always occurs during Fire Prevention Week, and firefighters make an effort to educate students and parents about actions they can take to keep themselves safe.
“We get out doing education for knowing [how to call] 9-1-1, stop, drop and roll, knowing multiple ways out of your house … we’re just trying to make sure everybody’s safe out there and everybody has a good time [tonight],” said Murray.
“All week long, we’ve been doing fire prevention classes,” he adds.
Mattapoisett resident Coco Zephir brought her two kids, Winne Clark, 8, and Josehine Clark, 6, to the event. Zephir and her family recently moved to Mattapoisett from Vermont and were eager to join the community at this event.
“I am just so impressed by how everybody turns out and how they open their doors like this. It’s really impressive, especially for fire safety,” Zephir said.
“I love the puppy and I love this balloon and it’s really fun!” said Winnie.
Josephine stated that she visited the fire department earlier this week with her class from Center School.
“I was here at school and I learned about fires and stuff,” she said.
Kids wielded fire hoses and tried on protective equipment with supervision from Mattapoisett firefighters.
Pamphlets for Halloween fire safety and house escape planning in case of a fire were handed out at the event, and safety activities like fire extinguisher demonstrations were showcased to attendees. Kids were able to climb into vintage and modern fire department vehicles.
Families were also treated to free hot dogs, pizza and popcorn at the event.
“I’m really blown away by [this event],” said Zephir.
