On Saturday, the fire departments of Osceola County, Kissimmee, and St. Cloud combined forces at Osceola Heritage Park for their first-ever Fire Safety Fest, an event part of National Fire Prevention Week.
The outdoor lawns were covered with numerous public safety vehicles, with crews from the Kissimmee Fire Department, St. Cloud Fire Rescue, Osceola County Fire Rescue/EMS, and the State of Florida Forestry Division on hand to answer questions and display equipment.
A live fire and home fire sprinkler demonstration also took place, with the aftermath comparison easy to see. Inside were information stations with firefighters and fire safety staff from the two cities, Osceola County, Orlando Health, and the County Office of Emergency Management.
During the midday event, firefighters gave talks on life safety subjects such as first aid, fire extinguisher use, and smoke alarms. Kissimmee Fire Department’s Lt. Geoff Miller engaged several youngsters who volunteered for the “hands-only”, no mouth-to-mouth breathing CPR demonstration. Lt. Miller told the volunteers to “use the rhythm of the song Stayin’ Alive (the Bee Gees classic from the movie “Saturday Night Fever”) while doing chest compressions”, and then he played the music as the volunteers worked on the practice mannequins while the attendees looked on.
Of course, no event involving fire safety would be complete without an appearance by Sparky the Fire Dog, who was ever-present throughout the day. One senior Osceola County firefighter was heard to explain how Dalmatian dogs were originally known as “carriage dogs” with an innate ability to keep horses calm. When fire departments were first organized and began using equipment built on horse-drawn wagons, the need for Dalmatians to accompany them was even greater.
The event was created to showcase how local firefighters work to protect the community. Participants in the day’s activities got a closeup look at fire trucks, rescue vehicles, and even a medical helicopter “ambulance” that operates out of the Kissimmee Gateway Airport.
The event was well attended by dozens of Osceola County residents throughout the four-hour program.
