Winfield open house sparks interest in fire safety

As a baby, Nick Van Bortel pulled the fire alarm near his crib at day care, accidentally bringing firemen rushing to the scene.

Now 5, Van Bortel got to hang out with firemen again Saturday and even tried his hand at putting out a fire during the Winfield Fire Protection District's open house.

"They always wanted to shoot the fire extinguisher at home, but I never let them," Brett Van Bortel said of his sons Nick and 3-year-old Jake. "Here they got to do it."

The event, which is part of Fire Prevention Week, brought hundreds of families out for demonstrations, food and a chance to meet their local firefighters. This year's theme is "Stay Fire Smart! Don't Get Burned."

Winfield Fire Chief Phillip DiMenza said the event gives people a chance to ask questions of their firefighters outside of being in an emergency situation.

"What we try to do is teach the kids without them knowing we're teaching them," DiMenza said. "It's important to be able to, while you have the kids captivated, to be able to talk to the parents (as well)."

The fire protection district that includes Winfield and unincorporated areas of Wheaton, Carol Stream and West Chicago is responsible for about 30,000 people and handles 1,700 emergency calls a year.

Among the lessons firefighters stressed Saturday was the importance of smoke alarms and sprinklers.

In one corner of the station's parking lot, flames and black smoke filled a mock home and burned the furniture within.

Firefighters demonstrated how they put the fire out and then showed how helpful a smoke alarm and sprinklers could be. The sprinklers in one of the mock houses turned on within 21 seconds, dousing the flames.

Officials said there are 3,000 fire deaths a year in the United States and 80 percent are in homes.

Families like the Van Bortels also got to try out fire extinguishers and hoses, watch dive rescue team demonstrations, play on a large slide, take a ride on a fire truck and explore the inner workings of a variety of fire and police vehicles.

Denise Carlson of Winfield said the open house is another chance for her 5-year-olds to practice some of the fire safety tips they've talked about at home.

"It's a ton of fun," Carlson said. "It's a great time and the kids really like to climb in and out of the cars and they get to talk to the firemen."