South Green Lake Volunteer Fire Department Open House slatedThe South Green Lake Volunteer Fire Department is hosting an Open House at the Fire Hall (546 Green Lake South Rd.) on May 21 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and it will be an opportunity for the community to talk to Fire Chief Roger Graham, Assistant Fire Chief Bob Bell, Deputy Fire Chief Dunham Craig and the captains about the apparatus, equipment, dry hydrants and what’s happening at the Fire Hall.Home sprinklers informationThere will be a sprinkler booth where people can talk to local firefighters about the advantage of sprinklers as a great last line of defence against wildfires. People will also be able to put in orders for some sprinklers. Firefighters will be building 200 new sprinklers this year – 40 sets of of three ground sprinklers and two rooftop sprinklers.A sprinkler demonstration will be on display behind the Fire Hall during the Open House. Anyone with questions about sprinklers or about designing a sprinkler system for their homes can e-mail Del at Lindawestfall@hotmail.com.Fence maintenanceThere will also be a booth where folks can learn about the fence behind our properties that keep the range cattle from coming down and making a mess in our yards.A group of residents have been looking after the fence system for a number of years, and they would like some new volunteers to help check the fence line to make sure there aren’t any breaks the cows can get through and to fix those breaks.All of the hard work of building the fence line has been completed, and now it’s just a matter of checking the fence and maintaining its integrity.So please talk to the folks at the fence line booth to thank them for what they do and see if there is some way they can be helped.FireSmart boothsThe local FireSmart crew will have two booths at the open house, which will have a couple of maps.One of the maps will show where the wildfires have been close to our South Green Lake Community over the years.The map will show just how close wildfires have been to our properties. The reality is: it’s not a matter of if there will be a wildfire threatening our homes, cabins and properties, but it is a matter of when that wildfire will happen.This is why the local FireSmart crew wants property owners to make their homes, cabins and properties more wildfire resilient. So please stop at the booths and talk to people – two Local FireSmart Representatives (LFRs) and the Bravo Neighbourhood Champion – about how we can protect our homes, cabins and properties.Be sure to check out the Bravo FireSmart Neighbourhood Recognition Sign.The second map will show which of the three designated FireSmart neighbourhoods your property is in. Ask the LFRs how you can make your homes, cabins and properties more wildfire resilient.The FireSmart table will also have some combined smoke and CO alarm giveaways for South Green Lake property owners on a first-come first-served basis if they don’t have hard-wired detectors in their homes and cabins and they didn’t pick up alarms at last year’s giveaway.FireSmart LFR Ken Alexander will be asking the people picking up the detectors for the property owner’s lot number, first and last names, phone numbers and email addresses, so please bring that along when you pick up an alarm.The local FireSmart crew will also be asking people who come to the FireSmart booth if they would be interested in be becoming a FireSmart Champion for their neighbourhood or if they would like to join the FireSmart committees for the A and C Neighbourhoods, which the local FireSmart Crew would like to get recognized this year.Food and FunHotdogs and a drink – pop, water, coffee and tea – will be available by donation.Folks can also purchase tickets for five raffle baskets.FireSmart mascot Ember will be showing up for the event, so the children and the young at heart can meet her and get their pictures taken with her.The local FireSmart Crew will be handing out Ember gifts on a first-come first-serve basis at the booth.There will also be a Kids Booth where children will be able to choose doing two crafts and colouring FireSmart pages.Best of all, people will be able to meet their South Green Lake firefighters and chat with their South Green Lake friends and neighbours.Photo caption: George McFalane, who has a cabin on the off-shore side of South Green Lake, created a sprinkler system he made with sprinklers from the South Green Lake Volunteer Fire Department. … See MoreSee Less
