The South Green Lake Volunteer Fire Department held an open house for community members on Oct. 8.
To say the event was a success would be an understatement, as more than 200 people attended the open house.
With the trucks moved outside for the little ones to climb on, the fire hall was packed with people moving about looking at the displays and talking to the firefighters.
A lot of seasonal residents came up of the long weekend to winterize their cabins and make a few memories about being at Green Lake after the wildfires that threatened the area all summer long.
There were folks of all ages – from nine months to 90 years – in attendance and they had a lot to do and look at.
One of the highlights was the slideshow that fire chief Peter McKie put together, which showed various chores the firefighters performed, views of the area and photos of the wildlife moving into the area as they ran away from the approaching wildfires that closed to within a couple of kilometres of the community.
One of the favourite scenes was the video of the water bombers skimming water out of Green Lake and then heading back into the forests behind us to drop their loads and roaring back to pick up more water.
There were a couple of tables with FireSmart information and they attracted a lot of people who learned it’s an important step in preventing a wildfire or structure fire from turning their homes into charred remains.
Some parents showed pamphlets to their children and others looked to firefighters for some additional information.
Another important display was the tables that had the sprinkler systems set up. Roof-top and perimeter sprinklers are the second components in protecting structures from burning during a fire.
The auxiliary updated a lot of e-mail addresses and sold 75 homemade pies.
People consumed a lot of coffee and hot chocolate along with many tasty treats.
A large Thank-You board was made up so people could sign it and express their feelings.
“We will be forwarding photos of the board to all the groups that came out to help during the wildfire,” says fire department president Cheryl Groves.
Donations from 100 Mile Safeway and Save-On-Foods helped make the day a great success, Groves adds.
“A big thank-you goes to all who came out. It was wonderful to reconnect with old neighbours and meet some new folks.”