Crowds gather outside the Ocean City Fire Department headquarters for the open house.
On a cool October night at the Ocean City Fire Department headquarters, laughter and cheer echoed as children climbed through and explored fire trucks, sprayed fire hoses and got to know their community heroes up close and personal.
Families were smiling ear to ear as they enjoyed fire safety demonstrations, face painting, tours of fire trucks, a maze crawl, games, food and more at the annual Ocean City Fire and Rescue Open House Night held at 550 Asbury Ave.
“My favorite part has been the face painting and the tunnel maze,” said Josiah Boyer, a third grader who was easily mistaken as Spider-Man due to his face paint at the time.
The OCFD hosted the event Friday as a finale for National Fire Prevention Week, after offering programming at the Ocean City Primary and Intermediate schools and tours throughout the week.
“This event coincides with National Fire Prevention Week. We have schools that come through and we give tours and we instruct the kids on fire safety,” said firefighter and EMT Sean Kruger, who led in organizing the event. “We explain what to do in case of a fire – ‘stop, drop and roll’ – and things like that.”
Inside the firehouse there were free hot dogs, soft pretzels, merchandise, and more games for families to enjoy.
“We came to check out the fire safety demonstrations and to see the helicopter landing and all the fire trucks and ambulances on display,” said Jen Larsen, who brought her son and daughter to the event. “The kids are having a blast. They love face painting, the food is great, and there’s a lot of fun giveaways.”
Brian Hill and his 3-year-old son, Robert, spray a fire hose with the assistance of a firefighter.Robert Hill, a 3-year-old who loves everything firefighter related, got to play the role as he shot the fire hose at the burning house game. Robert’s father, Brian Hill, and a firefighter helped him hold up and aim the ginormous fire hose since it likely would have shot him backwards otherwise.
Maribeth Grasso, Robert’s mother, said she has very fond memories of attending the OCFD Open House Night as a kid, so she decided to bring her son.
“We brought our little guy to have some fun since I had such a great experience as a little girl,” Grasso said. “Robert loves fire trucks, helicopters, the noise, the water, so this is perfect for him.”
Around 6 p.m., families rushed out from the building and onto the street to watch a helicopter land on the Ocean City Tabernacle lawn. Grasso said her son was looking up at the sky all night in anticipation for the helicopter landing.
Later in the night, the OCFD held a kitchen fire demonstration, which was brought back from years ago after numerous Open House Nights without the activity. Three geared-up firefighters boiled a pot of oil, purposefully started a fire, then demonstrated how using water feeds the fire, but cutting off the fire’s oxygen by closing the pot’s lid or using a fire extinguisher will put it out.
Kruger said the most popular part of the night every year is the final live burn demonstration, where firefighters build a mock room and then set it ablaze on Asbury Avenue, then extinguish the fire while informing the crowd of the best way to navigate a similar situation.
“We actually built a tiny room that’s 8-by-8 feet. We put furniture in there, and we light it on fire properly and in a controlled environment,” Kruger said. “We explain to people the dangers of staying in a house, the importance of listening to smoke detectors and evacuating properly, and we also show people what we do when there’s a fire.”
As the firefighters finished hosing down the burning room, kids along with their parents and guardians left the OCFD headquarters with a healthy dose of fun, free food, community, and knowledge about fire safety.
A fire truck is one of the attractions at the open house.
