Regional

Fire Fest 2016 this Saturday in South Lake Tahoe

by Lisa Herron, U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit September 23, 2016

September 23, 2016 – Helicopters will star this year as they land just outside the Hard Rock Casino Lake Tahoe at Fire Fest 2016. What an incredible opportunity to get a close-up look at these amazing machines. Crews will be on hand to answer questions and explain how they help us when we need them most.

Fire Fest was started to recognize National Fire Prevention Week, initially established in remembrance of the great Chicago fire of 1891, to keep the public informed about the importance of fire prevention. In 1920, President Woodrow Wilson issued the first National Fire Prevention Day proclamation, and since 1922, Fire Prevention Week has been observed on the Sunday through Saturday around October 9. Prevention Week is the longest running public health and safety observance on record, according to the National Archives and Records Administration’s Library Information Center. The President of the United States has signed a proclamation proclaiming a national observance during that week every year since 1925.

This year Fire Fest is celebrating 22 years as our annual event hosted by our local fire agencies, including Lake Valley Fire District, the Tahoe-Douglas Fire District, Fallen Leaf Lake CSD Fire Department, the City of South Lake Tahoe Fire Department, the U.S. Forest Service and CalFire, and sponsored by the Lake Tahoe Kiwanis Club. This event highlights all our safety agencies, creating a day celebrating fire and life safety for children and families.

Southwest Gas, South Tahoe Public Utility District, South Tahoe Refuse and Recycling, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, Servpro, and Liberty Utilities have added home safety and energy and water conservation to this broad ranging community event with interests for everyone. The Lake Tahoe Fire Academy cadets and California Conservation Corp. volunteers assist throughout the event. Food and beverages are available, masterfully barbecued by the Kiwanis Club, and other snacks are available at family-friendly prices.

Activities include fire engines and utility equipment, campfire awareness, vehicle extrication, home safety ideas, free hand out material and lots of special attractions for kids, like water fights, using a fire extinguisher and Smokey Bear and other friends. By visiting the different booths, kids can earn a ticket for a drawing for cool prizes.

What does Fire Fest achieve? Over the past 22 years, we have distributed hundreds of smoke detectors and fire extinguishers for local homes, helped families improve home safety, met the people who help us in emergencies, fingerprinted hundreds of our children and, overall, created safer homes, streets, neighborhoods and forests.

Fire Fest 2016 is Saturday, September 24, 2016 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Hard Rock Casino Lake Tahoe. Admission is free so it’s a great opportunity for families to have fun while learning about safety and conservation.

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