A number of eager families amassed for Langley Township’s annual fire hall No. 3 open house in Aldergrove Tuesday evening.
What they witnessed, came as a surprise to everyone involved.
Midway through a fire-extinguishing demonstration put in place by on-call chief, Rob Vinette, the hall received a call for active atn 6:45 p.m.
In a flurry of mass bewilderment, two trucks – already fully-equipped for the dumpster fire demonstration – activated their sirens and raced off to a motor vehicle accident on 16 Avenue and 272 Street.
Vinette exclaimed, “I think they’ll be the first ones on the scene!”
Another member, Kyle Power, said aloud to his comrades: “What are the odds?”
Upon the crews return back to the hall, Vinette told the Aldergrove Star those involved in the crash were able to make it out of the car prior to their arrival.
The injured were promptly seen by B.C. ambulance services technicians thereafter, he assured.
Local father Justin Howell, who worked as a volunteer firefighter on Galiano Island for a few years, says the job isn’t easy.
Howell admits his 5-year-old son Liam has been bugging him about going to the fire hall’s annual open house for awhile.
Before attending, the child dressed in his Halloween firefighter costume, complete with reflective safety stripes and a firefighter’s helmet.
“On our drive here Liam was telling me ‘this way… now go here… turn right dad it’s beside the store’,” knowing off by heart the directions to his favourite place.
“Every time we drive by the hall he tells me ‘we gotta go there!” The father remarked.
Other eager children tried their hand at operating fire hoses with the help of experienced members including firefighter Matt D’Andrea.
Open houses are held each year in June, as a part of the Township’s fire safety and educational initiatives.
The free event gave children and their parents a chance to meet local firefighters, see equipment used for the job, tour inside fire trucks and learn more about what best to do in an emergency.
Central Fraser Valley Search and Rescue team members were also on site with a jet boat and emergency radio systems as well as scanning lights kids could test out.
