The Sedona Fire District announced that the Regional Fire Prevention Day that was scheduled to take place on Saturday, Oct. 5 has been canceled as local first responders mourn the death of Copper Canyon firefighter Shane Gage on Friday, Sept. 27.
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The Verde Valley Fire District will be hosting its first Verde Valley Regional Fire Prevention Day on Saturday, Oct. 5, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Verde Valley Fairgrounds in Cottonwood.
The event will include free hot dogs, hamburgers, kids’ activities and the opportunity to meet firefighters and get up close to their fire engines.
“I just would like everyone to come out and enjoy a beautiful morning and get some information on how to be safe. And let’s just make our community a safer place to live for everybody,” VVFD Fire Inspector and event organizer Rick Lopez said.
The event aims to increase public awareness of fire risks and general safety and will include car seat safety checks. Participating agencies will include Verde Valley and Sedona fire districts, Copper Canyon Fire & Medical District, Cottonwood Fire Department and Jerome Volunteer Fire Department.
Outside organizations such as Unisource gas utility, Guardian Air and Arizona Public Service electricity utility will be on hand to provide safety information for the public, as will the American Red Cross, which will be providing information about smoke detectors.
“The goal is to educate the community and build stronger safety habits,” Lopez said. “This is the first event of its kind in the Verde Valley that I’m aware of. It’s an opportunity for us to bring essential safety information to the community … not just fire safety, but also gas and electrical safety because we’ll have APS, and we’ll also be sharing resources from organizations like the Red Cross.”
Activities for the kids will include a firefighter challenge that gives kids the chance to experience a mock version of a firefighter’s physical fitness test, complete with hose-dragging, teddy bear rescues and water-shooting challenges.
“We’re going to have fire trucks there too, so kids can crawl inside, meet firefighters and learn about fire safety in a fun way,” Lopez said. Lopez said that he would like Verde Valley Regional Fire Prevention Day to become an annual event and rotate through different towns in the Verde Valley.
Saturday, Oct. 5, will also be the Sedona Police Department’s Community Night Out from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Sedona Posse Grounds Hub at 525 Posse Ground Road.
For more information about the event, contact Lopez at rlopez@verdevalleyfire.org or check the fire district’s Facebook page at @VerdeValleyFire.
