Residents learn about a ‘Day in the Life’ of a Rosemont firefighter

Written By Paula Brown

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Rosemont firefighters gave area residents a chance to learn about their day-to-day work with a recent ‘Day in the Life' experience. 

The ‘Day in the Life' event was held on Sunday (Sept. 24) from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Rosemont Fire Hall. It was the first time the local fire department held the event, aimed at educating residents about the training and equipment that goes into firefighting.

“This is an opportunity for members of the public to come in and try out what we do on a day-to-day basis and what our training involves,” said Rosemont Fire Chief Mike Blacklaws.

“We want to bring awareness to the community of what it is we do, as a fire department and as a volunteer on-call department,” said Anthony Felice, a Rosemont volunteer firefighter and organizer of the event.

The event consisted of four different activities and demonstrations that included a PPE and dummy drag, where participants put on turn-out gear to feel its weight; a CRP and AED medical scenario; an auto extrication demonstration, where they tested tools used at scenes of car accidents; and a hose deployment. 

“It's really a wonderful idea, because I don't think the public really understands everything that the firefighters go through, and the training they do is phenomenal,” said Mulmur Councillor Patty Clarke. “I don't think the community appreciates how much time they put into basically volunteering their time, and it's interesting to see all they have to and the physicality of the work.” 

With the success of the first-ever ‘Day in the Life' event, the Rosemont Fire Department told the Free Press that it hopes to hold similar events for more residents to learn about the fire department's role as first responders.