Swindon Fire Station opens to public for family-fun day

An open day at Swindon Fire Station welcomed crowds of people this weekend, who all got a glimpse into the work emergency services do to keep people safe.

On Saturday, June 29 the Fire Station opened to the public for a family-fun day raising money through a tombola and raffle for the Fire Fighters Charity, which supports the wellbeing of those who are working, or have worked, in the fire service.

The main attraction were demonstrations by fire fighters to show visitors how they put out fires and give them the chance to go on the aerial ladder platform.

Phil Peaple, Trowbridge Station Manager, said: “Quite often the doors are closed but we’re interacting with the public and opening the doors to invite them in. It’s good to show the work we do and what their taxes go towards, so it’s really positive for the community.”

Children were invited to sit in the fire trucks, ambulances and police cars, were shown the lights and sirens and even got to beep the horn.

There were also vintage vehicles on display, South Western Ambulance Service were offering first aid and CPR advice and there was a recruitment stand for anyone who felt inspired to enquire about a career in the fire service.

A vintage ambulance was on display (Image: Newsquest)

Organiser Lee Smitten added: “After the success last year and so much positive feedback we decided to put the event on again and it’s a great family-friendly day. We’re putting on demonstrations to enforce educational messages and show people how we respond to incidents in the community.

“We will be re-enacting a road traffic collision, where police, fire and the ambulance service respond and it’s really important because it shows how the three services all work together.

“We have also put on a quiet hour between 10 and 11 for people who suffer with crowds and noise. We had 150 people join us for that, so it’s an inclusive day. It’s all about the excitement but it allows them to enjoy it without the hustle and bustle.

“The community gets involved too and local businesses donate prizes for the raffle and local schools have allowed us to use their car parks for the day, so it’s for the whole of Swindon.

“It’s a lot of work but it’s very rewarding and I expect we will put on another event next year.”