At the Skippack Fire Company: A Twenty-Year Mystery Revealed

Event: Community Services Day
Meet members of the Skippack Fire Company and other local heroes and helpers. Vital service providers and local non-profit organizations set up exhibits, give demonstrations, and are available to talk to people in the community.
Where: Victorian Carriage Shops in the heart of Skippack, 4039 Skippack Pike.
When: Sunday, October 21, 2012  noon to 4 pm. Rain date is October 28. Concurrent with the Skippack International Car Show.
What else: Free, open to the public, and appropriate for people all ages.

The Skippack Blogger's Question

I arrived at the Skippack Fire Company with a question I have wanted to ask for more than two decades.

When I first moved to Montgomery County, PA, more than twenty years ago, I came close, too close, to a fire. I woke up in my apartment to see the building across from mine, separated by only a small courtyard, go up in flame. Two children were inside, their traumatized father watching from the courtyard in sheer terror. With roaring speed, flames from the first floor engulfed the top third floor apartment. My instinct was to get as far away as possible as fast as possible.

How does a firefighter conquer this instinct and walk into a burning building?

Approaching the Skippack Firehouse

I approach Skippack Fire Company on the night of an open house, part of Fire Prevention Week. The large, brightly lit hall and grounds are a showcase for fire engines and other rescue equipment, proud firefighters act as guides, children run about and parents call after them. A sense of excitement and goodwill permeates the atmosphere and the little boy inside the Skippack Blogger begins to awaken.

To find the discover the secret of a firefigher, continue to I Love Skippack.