Starkville residents of all ages will soon have the opportunity to see what it’s like to be a firefighter.
Starkville Fire Department is hosting its first ever fire expo Saturday for adults, and a children’s fire academy is scheduled from July 18-22.
“Both kids and parents will have the ability to see what we do, from using the Jaws of Life to handling firehoses,” said SFD Chief Charles Yarbrough. “This is what we’re here for — to be community-oriented. Our slogan is” ‘Ask me, and I’ll help.’ We’re here to help, and we want the public to see what we do. Anyone can come down here any time and stop and talk to us.”
Saturday’s fire expo will be held from 8-11 a.m. at Fire Station No. 3, located at the intersection of Highway 389 and Garrard Road.
Yarbrough said five of 25 slots are still free for next week’s children’s fire academy, and the openings are available for children ages 8-13. The camp runs from 8 a.m. to noon each day at Fire Station No. 1, located at the intersection of Lampkin and Russell streets, and firefighters will feed attendees each day.
“We’ll have the usual firefighter training for kids. They’re going to exercise and train with us. We’ll also have an emergency medical day and a police day, too,” he said. “We want kids to have an understanding of what we do. You never know, we could be hiring some of them as firefighters in the future.”
Both events are free to the public. Saturday’s fire expo does not have registration requirements, and applications for the children’s firefighter camp are available at Fire Station No. 1.
For more information on either event, call Fire Station No. 1 at 662-323-1845 or 662-323-1277.
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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