Weekend event held at county fairgrounds
For the Cumberland Times-NewsCumberland Times-News
MCHENRY — The first Garrett County Public Safety Day was held Saturday at the Garrett County Fairgrounds.
Numerous organizations were on hand at the event, which was designed for public education and exposure to what each of the public safety organizations do daily.
The event included various volunteer fire departments, rescue squads, Maryland State Police, Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office with the Bomb Squad and the Garrett County Sheriff’s Office.
The evening started off with an event called a Water Reach, which provided a chance to handle a charged hose line and shoot tennis balls from cones. Youngsters were able to dress up in firefighting gear and receive a firefighter helmet for their participation.
Maryland State Police brought its K-9 unit and the Crime Scene Unit. Participants also were able to meet the state police canines and their handlers.
On the opposite side of the building, the Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office brought its bomb squad robot, which rolled around the building opening tool boxes and picking up cups.
Outside, in one of the other fair buildings, a Hose Maze was set up to demonstrate obstacles that could be present in a house. The object was to follow the hose line to either find the nozzle and fight the fire or follow the hose line and get out of the house. The exercise simulated how a firefighter must go through a burning building and only rely on their sense of feeling to get them out of the building.
An Ultimate Firefighter Challenge occurred in the show ring. While it seemed easy, firefighters that went through the challenge were wearing their personal protective gear and breathing apparatus, which both weigh about 75 pounds. The challenge consisted of an obstacle course of what normal firefighters would do on at a typical fire scene, testing local firefighters for strength and en-durance.
