National Night Out - “America’s Night Out Against Crime!”

Photo By Bruce Dembecki

Photo By Bruce Dembecki

 
Tuesday, August 6th, was National Night Out - “America’s Night Out Against Crime”! To highlight the event, the San Jose Fire Department held a special Open House at Fire Station 6 in Willow Glen. The Open House offered members of the public a chance to meet their firefighters and get an up-close look at the fire engines. The BBQ was running overtime as hundreds of residents were fed by San Jose's firefighters. Meanwhile, fire station and fire engine tours were popular.
    
In addition to the station's "local" regulars, Engine 6 and Fire Support Unit 2, other fire units on display included Med 30, Truck 30 and one of the San Jose Squads. Also joining in the evening's get-together were several representatives from the San Jose Police Dept. In addition to this wide range of equipment for residents to learn about, the event was well attended by San Jose Fire Department's firefighters and administrative ranks. Fire Chief Willie McDonald was on hand - during his last week as San Jose's Fire Chief. Also attending were an Assistant Chief, some Deputy Chiefs ,and a whole squad of Battalion Chiefs (or is a group of Battalion Chiefs called a "gaggle"? ...maybe a "Battalion"?).
    


Photo By BC Steve Alvarado

The public enjoyed their visit to the fire station and the entertainment put on by SJFD and SJPD. To go with the hot dogs and baked beans (flying off the BBQ) and the equipment tours, guests were spotted swinging away at a Pinata, watching a rather fine video presentation, and talking with Fire Associates' volunteer Bruce Dembecki about our group. Later in the evening Truck 30 came by and showed off San Jose's newest piece of fire apparatus - the new Pierce aerial tiller. The Pierce "stick" was put up into the night sky and the lights on the tip made the whole area seem like daylight.    
  
Several hundred people came through the doors of Fire Station 6 on a fine Tuesday evening, and Fire Associates was happy to have been able to participate.
    

-- Report submitted by Bruce Dembecki