Norristown Fire Dept. Gets $57K New Vehicle: 'Fire Safety House'

NORRISTOWN, PA — There's a new vehicle in the Norristown Fire Department's fleet, and it's job is not to put out fires, but to stop them from happening in the first place.

The brand new "fire safety house" is a custom-built, mobile education trailer aims to teach Norristown area children about fire safety. It replaces a similar vehicle the department has used for over 30 years.

The $57,708 vehicle was approved for purchase by Norristown's Municipal Council.

“Fire education and prevention is one of the cornerstones of the Norristown Fire Department’s operations. It is as important—if not more so—as fire suppression because of our community’s density. The Municipal Council made a wise investment in keeping Norristown safe,” Municipal Administrator Crandall O. Jones said in a statement.

Officials said it will be used to educated thousands of children and families in the Norristown Area School District, appearing at special fire prevention events throughout the community.

“The real winners are the children in our community who will continue to have an opportunity to learn fire safety education for years to come,” Norristown Fire Chief Tom O'Donnell said.

The vehicle features two rooms, a bedroom and kitchen, which aim to teach safe cooking habits, escape plans, and how to extinguish cooking fires.