Free, family-friendly events will offer educational opportunities while allowing the public to meet neighborhood firefighters
Members of the Sarasota County Fire Department (SCFD) are inviting the public to a series of open houses at various fire stations throughout Sarasota County, “to educate and connect with our community through a series of engaging events,” the Fire Department has announced.
The free, family-friendly open houses will be held one Saturday a month from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m., offering visitors the opportunity “to meet their firefighters, see fire apparatus, learn about fire safety and prevention, hands-only CPR, and how to use an automated external defibrillator (AED), a news release points out. Car seat safety inspections and bike helmet fittings also will be available, the release notes.
The schedule for open houses is as follows:
- Saturday, June 22, at Station 4, located at 3530 Old Bradenton Road in Sarasota.
- Saturday, July 20, at Station 12, located at 3110 Bee Ridge Road in Sarasota.
- Saturday, Aug. 24, at Station 21, located at 721 Center Road in Venice.
- Saturday, Sept. 21, at Station 9, located at 6750 Bee Ridge Road in Sarasota.
- Saturday, Oct. 12, at Station 15, located at 9102 Bloomfield Blvd. in Sarasota.
- Saturday, Nov. 16, at Station 22, 4531 Englewood Road in Venice.
- Saturday, Dec. 21, at Station 17, located at 5431 Desoto Road in Sarasota.
“We love serving and getting to know our community,” said Sarasota County Fire Chief David Rathbun in the release. “Bringing the open houses directly into the neighborhoods allows us to better connect with our neighbors and educate families on fire safety and life-saving skills like hands-only CPR,” he added. “These learning opportunities and donating blood are all ways for the fire department and our neighbors to work together to make Sarasota County a safer place to live.”
For more information on the Fire Department and the list of open house dates, visit scgov.net/fire.