Buffalo Grove Fire Department to Host Open House in September

BUFFALO GROVE, IL - The Buffalo Grove Fire Department will be hosting the 21st annual Fire Department Open House on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. The Open House will be held at the Buffalo Grove Fire Department Headquarters, 109 E. Deerfield Parkway in Buffalo Grove.

There will demonstrations of vehicle extrications and a side-by-side sprinkler burn unit included at the event. A hands-on fire extinguisher training for adults, in addition to the junior firefighter challenge, which includes a fire pole, will also be held, according to a news release.

Fire department equipment will be on display, and puppet shows will be provided to help educate young people on fire safety. There also will be an appearance by the Flight for Life helicopter, and free hot dogs and chips will be available for those who attend.

The Buffalo Grove Fire Department is pleased to be able to hold this open house again for the children and adults of the community. The open house occurs during the kick-off to National Fire Prevention Week, which runs October 9 through October 15. Each year, more than 3,000 people die, and more than 21,000 people are injured in fires. These statistics are equivalent to one fire death every three hours, and a fire injury every 34 minutes, according to the news release.

Although there has been progress made in preventing fires, these death and injury rates are two to three times higher than rates found in Western Europe and Japan. The most significant tragedy relating to the statistics is that an overwhelming number of fires are actually preventable, according to the news release.

Photo credit: Village of Buffalo Grove