The Rock Community Fire Protection District invites the public to its annual open house on Saturday. It will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at House 1, at 1533 Jeffco Blvd. in Arnold.
The district typically holds an open house each spring and rotates the event through its five houses. Rock Fire covers approximately 38 square miles in Arnold and Kimmswick and portions of Imperial and Barnhart.
“It’s important for the community to be invited at least once a year to the fire stations just to see how their on-duty crews are spending their time when not responding to calls,” said Alyson Rotter, Rock Fire public information officer. “Just as much as it is our house, it is the community’s house as well. We want the community to meet the crews, see what equipment we have to best serve them. and it allows us to answer any questions. We also can show them all the things we have to offer the community.”
The district holds a variety of community outreach and educational programs.
It’s free to attend the open house, and Rock Fire will provide free food and drinks.
Kona Ice also will hand out free kid-sized shaved ice from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., with Rock Fire handing out tickets for the free shaved ice at its table in the bay area.
Rotter said representatives from the fire district, Arnold Police Department, Rock Township Ambulance District, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Jefferson County 911 Dispatch and other agencies are expected to be at the open house.
“They will have giveaways and presentations,” she said.
Tours of House 1 will be offered at 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., and people will have the chance to get wet during a “spray-down” at 1:30 p.m., Rotter said.
This year’s open house will also feature the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s seat belt convincer, a machine designed for those 14 and older and simulates the experience of a 5-mph, head-on collision, according to the Highway Patrol.
“It shows people the importance of a seat belt,” Rotter said. “They get into a seat and clip in. They are propelled down a little bit to show them the impact of wearing a seat belt. I am excited about it. If we change a few minds about wearing a seat belt versus not, I will call it a win.”
Rotter said a safe house presentation will be held at noon in Rock Fire’s safety trailers. The presentation will cover topics such as home hazards, smoke detectors and how to safely exit a home in smoky conditions.
She said the presentation will finish with a smoke machine filling the trailer with smoke and people will either crawl under the smoke to exit a window or the trailer’s door.
“If people can take away one piece of information, whether it is about a home hazard or smoke detector, and apply that to their home to make it a little safer, it is a good day,” Rotter said.
She said she always enjoys the open house.
“It is great to see the support from the community,” she said. “It lifts us up and lets us know that the community supports us and they want to see what we are doing and where we live. It also gives us a personal connection to the people we serve.”
For more information, call 636-296-2211 or go to Rock Fire’s Facebook page.