Home Organizations & Associations Langford Fire Rescue Fun time at Langford Fire Rescue Open House 2023

Fun time at Langford Fire Rescue Open House 2023

langford, fire rescue, open house, 2023
Steady lineup for taking a ride on a Langford fire truck, at the Langford Fire Rescue Public Open House on Oct 1, 2023. [Mary P Brooke / Island Social Trends]
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Sunday October 1, 2023 | LANGFORD, BC

by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends


Under sunny skies after a week of rain, over 800 people came to have fun at the annual Langford Fire Rescue Open House.

Held on this Sunday October 1 at Fire Station #1 on Peatt Road, there were fire truck rides, hot dogs, and more. There was a pancake breakfast that started at 10 am and then a hot dog lunch.

langford fire rescue, open house
Langford Fire Rescue Open House – Oct 1, 2023

There were equipment displays as well as information about amateur radio, emergency support services, BC Emergency Health Services with an ambulance on hand, and Westshore RCMP. And of course Sparky the Dog was on hand.

Kids enjoyed rides on the firetruck, even if they only sat in the main cab for a minute or two.

kids, fire truck, langford
Brother and sister enjoying a few minutes in the driver’s seat of Fire Engine #1, at the Langford Fire Rescue Open House on Oct 1, 2023. [Mary P Brooke / Island Social Trends]

Fire Chief pleased with the turnout:

Langford Fire Chief Chris Aubrey was on hand and many of the firefighting team. There are 27 career firefighters and 21 volunteers. Recruitment for the latest batch of new volunteers just wrapped up for this year; another 10 to 12 volunteers may now join the team, says Aubrey. This is an important step, as during the pandemic fire departments across Canada lost as many as 6,000 volunteers overall.

langford fire chief, chris aubrey
Langford Fire Chief Chris Aubrey at the 2023 Langford Fire Rescue Open House. [Mary P Brooke / Island Social Trends]

This is the first Langford Fire Rescue open house since the pandemic, and Chief Aubrey seemed really pleased at the turnout.

It was Chief Aubrey who really started the popularity of the open house event in 2017. He reminds that more events are coming up soon: Halloween open house, Pumpkins Smash, and Santa Run on Christmas Eve.

Donations were collected today for the local Goldstream Food Bank.

Fire trucks:

Fire Engine #1 was proudly on display, which in August became the top of the heap. Fire Engine #2 is the previous #1. Both on hand in the driveway in front of the fire hall today.

The full fleet of Langford fire vehicles includes four engines, a ladder truck, rescue vehicle, brush fire truck, utility vehicles (including the fire chief’s truck), technical rescue vehicle, and ATV.

city of langford, strategic plan

The event ran from 10 am to 2 pm. Just like a good garage sale, many folks turned up much earlier than 10 am, said Chief Aubrey. But they were ready!

firefighters, langford, 2023
Langford firefighters on hand for the public open house at Station #1 on Oct 1, 2023. [Mary P Brooke / Island Social Trends]
ambulance, fire rescue, langford
The public could check out the inside of an ambulance, at the Langford Fire Rescue open house on Oct 1, 2023. [Island Social Trends]

Women’s Auxiliary:

The Langford Fire Women’s Auxiliary were in charge of the hot dogs. Their group has about 18 members. The organization has evolved past membership having to be directly affiliated with being related to a member of the active firefighting force.

womens auxiliary, langford fire rescue, 2023
Langford Fire Women’s Auxiliary cranked out hot dogs for hours at the Langford Fire Rescue open house on Oct 1, 2023. [Mary P Brooke / Island Social Trends]
langford, fire rescue, open house, 2023
Steady lineup for taking a ride on a Langford fire truck, at the Langford Fire Rescue Public Open House on Oct 1, 2023. [Mary P Brooke / Island Social Trends]
firefighters, open house, cooking safety
Langford firefighters at the public open house on Oct 1, 2023. [Island Social Trends]

===== ABOUT ISLAND SOCIAL TRENDS:

Island Social Trends has been covering news of the west shore since mid-2020 entirely online at IslandSocialTrends.ca, in the footsteps of its precursor print publications: MapleLine Magazine (2008-2010), Sooke Voice News (2011-2013), and West Shore Voice News (2014-2020)… all of which are archived in the permanent collections at the Sooke Region Museum.

Mary P Brooke, editor
Mary P Brooke, Editor, Island Social Trends

Founding editor and publisher of the entire publication series is Mary P Brooke, B.Sc., Cert PR. Ms Brooke was nominated for a Jack Webster Foundation award in 2023 which acknowledges women who contribute to their communities through professional journalism.

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