Fire station 303 open day welcomes all into the wide world of firefighting

To be held on Saturday, May 11 from 10 am til 2pm, the crew from Gloucester Station 303 will be on hand providing the public with a range of activities; including firefighting demonstrations, station tours and safety presentations.

It will also be an opportunity to meet your local firefighters and learn the scope of what their role entails.

"The open day is about getting the community involved and getting them to the station to see a bit about what we do," retained Gloucester firefighter, Deborah Sheely said.

The local fireys have planned a range of activities for the day to entertain and educate all - including the next generation of firefighters.

"We'll set up some traffic cones and we'll get the fire hose out and they can have a turn on the hose trying to blow over the traffic cones, they'll be able to go through the station and have a look, plus have a sit in the truck," Deborah said.

There will be a barbecue along with some take-home packs for the kids with some fun learning material; all of which will help the public get a better understanding of the role firefighters play.

"People don't really know much about what we do because it's so much more than just firefighting; we do a lot of ambulance assistance, automatic fire alarms, and home safety visits," Deborah said.

Home fire safety is a factor Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) is eager to highlight to the community at large.

Through adopting safe practices and regular checks of appliances and equipment, many potentially dangerous situations may be avoided.

With winter fast approaching, people are urged to check things like heaters and electric blankets. Also, smoke alarms need to be in working order and are recommended to be replaced if more than 10 years old.

"We have a high level of elderly population in Gloucester and so it is vitally important that they do have smoke alarms and we get them checked for them."

Another issue FRNSW wishes to emphasie is the importance of safe and correct charging of lithium-ion battery devices, such as mobile phones, tablets, e-bikes and e-scooters.

Gloucester Station 303 is hoping that the open day will stir enough interest for members of the community to sign up as on-call retained firefighters.

For those interested in joining up, it is a paid position, however, those most needed are personnel with daytime availability for the role.

Anyone interested can visit www.fire.nsw.gov.au or contact the station on 6558 1703 for more information.