Fairfield Fire Co. holds open house

(5/21) The Fairfield Fire and EMS held their annual open house in May to allow residents to meet local emergency responders and see the equipment they use in the course of performing their duties.

The open house was held at the Fairfield fire house on May 20.

More than 100 local residents and families attended the event under perfect skies accompanied by a light breeze. The event was designed to be both educational for all and entertaining for the young.

Fairfield displayed its entire fleet of fire fighting and medical transport vehicles, joined by the Biglerville Fire Company, who brought several units of their firefighting apparatus to the event as well.

Fairfield emergency staff provided fire truck and ambulance rides to attendees, and even allowed children to try and put out a mock burning house using fire department hoses. A wrecked vehicle was also on hand for rescue demonstrations.

Also attending to permit people to become familiar with their equipment and operations was the crew of a LifeNet medical evacuation helicopter and one of their "birds."

LifeNet helicopters, also called air ambulances, provide transportation to individuals involved in near-drowning incidences, suffering from critical heart-related medical problems, or injured in accidents, as well as those in need of other emergency medical attention.

Another emergency service represented at the event was the Thurmont K-9 Search & Rescue unit. K-9 personnel sent to representatives to the Fairfield open house, along with two of their dogs, to demonstrate using the canines in search efforts.

Thurmont K-9 Search & Rescue primarily serves Frederick and surrounding counties in providing "wilderness air-scent searches, as well as swift water rescues and building searches." The units accepts donations (more information at thurmontk9sar.org).

Carroll Valley Borough and Liberty Township police also attended the event to answer questions about law enforcement issues and equipment.

Fairfield Fire and EMS protects the lives and properties of some 8,000 residents of Fairfield and Carroll Valley boroughs, and Hamiltonban, Liberty, and Highland townships, as well as assisting other area fire departments as well.

The company was formed in 1999 as the result of a merger between the Fairfield Community Fire Company and the Fairfield AmVets Community Ambulance Service.