Fraser to host 35th annual open house

FRASER — Fraser’s first responders and city officials are inviting the public to join them for the annual Fraser Open House.

The open house will allow residents to meet with those in their city government as well as their fire and police services.

“This will be the 35th annual Fraser Open House,” said Capt. John Gillies, the Fire Division supervisor. “It was started by the Fire Department but we’ve been working with the Parks and Rec Department to involve as many other departments and stakeholder organizations as possible in recent years.”

The open house will be free to attend and will take place at the Department of Public Safety and City Hall, located at 33000 Garfield Road. Director of Public Safety Samantha Kretzschmar said it will have a number of attractions to interest residents.

“It’s going to be Sunday, Oct. 8 from noon to 3 p.m. Last year was the first year I was able to attend. I am looking forward to it. Our pay-on-call firefighters will be there, including the mayor. We will have a hot dog lunch available. We’ll have a bake sale and raffle,” Kretzschmar said. “We’re having a candy drop from one of the fire truck cranes. We’ll have a DJ, face painting, arts and crafts.”

She added that there will be several opportunities for attendees to engage with the departments and to even get to try some of the equipment used by the Public Safety Department.

“We’ll have several fire trucks out there. There’s a vintage fire truck we will have on display,” said Kretzschmar. “People can check out our equipment and several firefighters will be out there in their gear. Our SWAT officers from the county team will be out there. Kids can come and talk to firefighters and spray the hoses. … The Department of Public Works will also bring some of their vehicles.”

Gillies said it’s the perfect way for Fraser residents to learn more about how their city works.

“It’s a great opportunity to see what is inside the building they drive by on a daily basis,” he said. “They can see what resources they are paying for and what equipment we can bring out to respond to an emergency. They also can meet the people we have in our department and they can explain about how our department works.”

Sign-ups for upcoming public safety educational programs also will be offered.

“Our department has recently started doing more community outreach programs,” said Gillies. “We have a car seat clinic scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 10. We got great feedback from our CPR classes in the spring so we are having one on Thursday, Nov. 9. People can sign up at the open house. The CPR class has a small fee, $10-$15 to cover the registration card and instruction book. The car seat clinic is free.”

The hope is that this will allow residents to feel more engaged with their local government and answer any questions they might have in a fun and relaxed environment.

“This is a great opportunity to get to know the Public Safety Department,” Kretzschmar said. “You can also talk to the mayor, public safety director and so forth. You can bring your kids, have some fun and meet some of the people running the city and keeping it safe.”