By Scott Roblin

Redcliff Fire gives locals peak behind the curtain with open house

Jun 16, 2019 | 6:52 PM

REDCLIFF, AB – Firefighters are a vital piece to the community as a whole, but it’s not often they get to interact with the public in non-emergency situations.

On Saturday afternoon however, fire crews in Redcliff got that chance by holding an open house during the busiest portion of Redcliff Days.

The Redcliff Fire station was opened up to the public, allowing both parents and kids the chance to learn more about the tools local first responders have at their disposal.

Fire chief Wade Gleisner said he enjoys the conversations with locals especially in a relaxed atmosphere away from potential danger.

“We’re treated really well in town, but it’s nice to have that interaction when there is no stress involved,” said Gleisner. “A chance to just talk about the trucks, everybody is curious about what a fireman does and especially about the toys he gets to play with.”

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While parents spoke with the handful of firefighters at the station, kids were taken on tours inside the trucks and given the chance to use fire hoses to knock down targets outside.

Gleisner said most of the questions they fielded from the kids revolved around the equipment and how to use them when being called out to emergencies.

“A lot of the questions are around the trucks themselves, how do they work?” he said. “The kids want to play with the hose because then they get the feel for what it’s like when they see us working out in the field. It’s not as easy as it looks.”

Firefighters also were able to speak with the adults about how to best react in emergency situations, like a fire or flood.

Saturday’s open house wasn’t all just for the Redcliff Days visitors however according to Gleisner.

“It’s actually a good training exercise for my firemen too,” he said. “They get to put everything through the works, through the paces. It’s good training for them too.”

According to the Town of Redcliff, the local fire department includes just over 20 active volunteers.