Buffalo Grove fire dept. hosts open house Saturday

The Buffalo Grove Fire Department will be hosting the 19th annual Fire Department Open House from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20, at the Fire Department Headquarters Station, 109 E. Deerfield Parkway.

The event will include demonstrations of vehicle extrication and a side-by-side sprinkler burn unit, hands-on fire extinguisher training for adults and the junior firefighter challenge, which includes a fire pole, and the Kids Fire Safety Smoke House, for children.

There also will be fire department equipment displays, puppet shows, and an appearance by the Flight for Life helicopter, as well as free hot dogs, popcorn, and firehouse chili.

The fire department is holding the open house to kick off National Fire Prevention Week, which runs from Oct. 5-11 this year. Each year, more than 3,000 people die and over 21,000 people are injured in fires. This is equivalent to one fire death every three hours and a fire injury every 34 minutes. Although there has been some progress in preventing fires, these death and injury rates are two to three times higher than those in Western Europe and Japan. The most significant tragedy about these rates is that almost all these fires are preventable.

For further information contact the Buffalo Grove Fire Department Public Education Division at (847) 777-6110