By Mary O’KEEFE

On Saturday, the Glendale Fire Dept. invited the community to celebrate Fire Service Day. The event took place at Glendale Fire Station 21 on Oak Street in downtown Glendale.

Glendale Interim Fire Chief Greg Fish and members of the department were on hand to answer questions and meet with the hundreds of visitors who walked through the station.

There were several things for families to do including climbing onto some of the fire equipment, including a vintage fire engine. The morning began with a pancake breakfast and information by lots of vendors from the City of Glendale including Community Services and Parks, which had a rock climbing wall behind its tent. Also on hand were members of Glendale Police SWAT [Special Weapons And Tactics] and Glendale Community Emergency Response Team. There was also a Verdugo Fire Academy booth for those who may be thinking of a career in firefighting.

A large projection screen showed videos of fires fought and rescues made by the firefighters. Sparky the Dog from GFD and GPD’s own Brisket were very popular with visitors. People could take a tour of Station 21 as well.

“The GFD has about 160 sworn firefighters, 50 of whom work daily, assigned to protect the city at each of the nine fire stations. Events like these are essential for improving community safety awareness and for building the mutual trust and cooperation needed to effectively manage emergencies,” according to GFD.