by Liz Lizama

A little rain did not stop the community from attending the Falls Church Volunteer Fire Department and Arlington County Fire Department’s open house on Saturday. More than 200 people attended the festivities held at Arlington County’s Fire Station No. 6 located at 555 N. Washington Street.

The Falls Church and Arlington County fire departments joined forces to participate in the National Fire Protection Association’s Fire Prevention Week efforts to educate local residents on important fire safety measures to protect their homes.

The open house included a number of activities for everyone. Attendees watched fire and emergency medical demonstrations and partook in station tours, which provided a peek into firefighter life at Station 6. Kids especially enjoyed the opportunity to climb on emergency vehicles and use a fire hose. Firefighters also served guests complimentary hot dogs, popcorn and beverages.

This year’s theme was “Working Smoke Alarms Save Lives!”

The National Fire Protection Association reports almost two-thirds of home fire deaths resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.

“In a fire, seconds count,” said captain Tom Polera, the City of Falls Church’s fire marshal.

“Roughly half of home fire deaths result from fires reported at night between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. when most people are asleep. Home smoke alarms can alert people to a fire before it spreads, giving everyone enough time to get out.”