Fire house opens doors for tours

Lights atop fire trucks will flash and horns will blare this weekend, but not because firefighters will be called into action.

Bloomington firefighters will show off their fire trucks to visitors at their annual Be Safe Fire Department Open House, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Bloomington Fire Department on Fourth and Lincoln Street during the 4th Street Festival.

It will start with a pancake breakfast cooked by the firefighters themselves.

“We wanted to take advantage of the fair right in front of the building,” said Robert Stumpf, battalion chief of training for the city of Bloomington Fire Department. “It made sense to open our doors so when kids come by we could talk to them about safety and show them the station. Then it became a big, all-day cookout.”

At 11 a.m. the firefighters switch to lunch items such as burgers, hot dogs, veggie burgers and chicken, all made to order.

All of the food will be sold for a small price and the money will be donated to the Local Firefighters Union, Stumpf said. The union sponsors victims of fire in the community by helping to replace some of the things lost in the fire, he said.

Besides raising money, the open house also gives members of the community an opportunity to see the station, said Daniel Lewis, communications director for the City of Bloomington.

“They show people all around,” he said. “Where the guys go when they’re off duty, the garage. You really get to see everything that goes on in the station.”

The fire department has never received a call during the event, Lewis said. However, there are still firefighters on duty. The firefighters in charge of the cookout and tours are off-duty, he said.

“It’s officially a volunteer effort,” Lewis said. “It won’t hurt any service.”

A new edition to the open house this year is the pipe and drum band, Stumpf said. The band, which consists of all firefighters, will perform in front of the firehouse both days until 12 or 12:30 p.m.

The first year the fire department had the open house, they did not do a lot of marketing, Stumpf said. As the station began to market the event more, he said they have seen an increase in visitors from one year to the next.

“The fundraisers are very important,” Lewis said. “And it’s important to get a chance to see the facilities and put a face with the fire fighters who sacrifice a great deal for the community. It’s a good way to spend some time with them.”