Fire Prevention Month Events and Activities and Year Round Fun

October is Fire Prevention Month. More specifically, Fire Prevention Week runs from Sunday October 3, 2021 to Saturday October 9, 2021. Fire Stations around the Twin Cities host open houses and other Fire Prevention month events.

What a great month to indulge your future firefighter’s love of big red engines, and the Twin Cities has some opportunities for you to do that. There are actually two fire-related museums in Minnesota and several stations offers open houses during the month.

2021 Fire Prevention Month Events

St. Anthony Fire Department Open House

St. Anthony Fire Station, 3505 Silver Lake Road, Minneapolis, MN 55418
Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021; 1-4 p.m.
Families can tour the fire trucks and the station, meet the firefighters and have lunch. Other fun and educational activities include: safety booths; take-home activity for the kids; kitchen safety trailer, and an obstacle course. FREE.

Shakopee Fire Department Open House

Fire Station 1, 2700 Vierling Drive E., Shakopee, Minnesota 55379
Monday, Oct. 4, 2021; 5-7 p.m.
All kinds of activities for Fire Prevention Week – refreshments, fire truck tours and the opportunity to spray a fire hose and rescue a teddy bear from a training room. The vehicle fire demonstration will be at 6 p.m. FREE.

Minnetonka’s 2021 Open House

Minnetonka Civic Center Campus, 14600 Minnetonka Blvd., Minnetonka, MN 55345
Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2021; 5-8 p.m.
See Minnetonka’s new police and fire facilities, meet public safety teams, visit displays to learn more about the work of police and fire departments and get a hot dog and beverage. Finish the evening with fireworks. FREE.

Burnsville Fire Department Open House

Fire Station No. 1, 911 140th St. W Burnsville, MN 55337
Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021; 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
Tour fire engines and ambulances, meet firefighters and Sparky the Fire Dog, and learn kitchen safety.

Hopkins Fire Department Open House

Hopkins Fire Station, 101 17th Avenue S., Hopkins, MN 55343
Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021; 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
The city hosts an annual Fire Prevention event open house that includes fire truck rides, hands-on demos and free food.

Eden Prairie City-Wide Open House

Eden Prairie City Center, 8080 Mitchell Road, Eden Prairie, Minnesota 55344
Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021; 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
According to the city’s website, highlights may include exhibits, demonstrations, and City vehicles and equipment.

Fire Prevention Month Activities at Home

The good news is that, according to FEMA, children 14 and under are 50% less likely to die in a fire than the general population. The U.S. average over the last 10 years has only been 300-400 child deaths per year. I start there in hopes that I don’t add to your late-night worries. We have enough of those.

That said, according to Stanford Children’s Health, “Most child play related home fires begin in a bedroom or living room where children are left unattended. The majority of these fires are started by children playing with matches or lighters.” A little fire safety education can go a long way. We recommend starting with the list below:

• • Test Your Smoke Alarms: Let your kids press the button while you cover your ears.
  • Check Off A Safety List: This is a good month to review the Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Winter Safety Checklist: For Your Home as a family. Let your kids check things off as you finish the checklist.
  • Screen Time Fire Safety Fun: The kids page of the National Fire Prevention Association is Sparky.org. It offers a variety of printable activities and lesson plans as well as videos games and other fun things to explore.
  • Family Movie Night: Families with younger kids may enjoy Planes: Fire and Rescue.

• • Read About It: Pick up some books about firefighters and fire safety at the library. We recommend for for Headstrong Hallie!: The Story of Hallie Morse Daggett, the First Female “Fire Guard” by local author Aimée Bissonette
• • Take Advantage of your library’s Bookflix subscription, where they pair a fun fiction book with an informative non-fiction book and add in some games at the end.  Bookflix has two fire-themed pairings:
    • Dot the Fire Dog by Lisa Desimini with A Very Busy Firehouse by Alyse Sweeney
    • I’m Brave! by Kate and Jim McMullan with How Things Work: Fire Trucks by Joanne Mattern

• • Activities from Pinterest: Check out these fun ideas we’ve gathered on Pinterest.

Watch A Fire Prevention Video

Your young firefighters can watch this video from the National Fire Protection Agency (“NFPA”) about the Great Chicago Fire anytime. It features author Lauren Tarshsis (of the “I survived” books)  interviewing Casey Grant of the NFPA.

Fire Station Tours Anytime

Many Fire Stations offer tours by appointment. If you don’t see your local station on this list, you can all their non-emergency number to inquire about tours.

• Saint Paul: To schedule a free tour, choose a fire station from this list, call the Fire Captain of the station to arrange a tour time.
• Minnetonka: Tours can be scheduled through the public education specialists by calling 952.939.8331.
• Inver Grove Heights: Call the Fire Operations Supervisor at 651-450-4303 to book a 30-45 minute tour.
• St. Louis Park: Offers tours by appointment by calling  952-924-2595.
• Burnsville: Contact Fire Administration at 952-895-4570 to schedule a tour.
• Eden Prairie: Station tours can be scheduled most Mondays and Fridays during regular business hours, 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m. Call the Fire Prevention Bureau 952-949-8556 at least a week in advance of all requests.

Museums Visit for Fire Prevention Month

Firefighters Hall and Museum

664 22nd Ave NE, Minneapolis, MN, 55418 United States
Located in Northeast Minneapolis near Edison High School, this small interactive museum offers kids a chance to climb on fire engines and try on firefighter gear. Open the 2nd & 4th Saturdays in 2021.

Hinckley Fire Museum

106 Old Hwy 61 S, Hinckley, MN 55037
Located a little over an hour north of the Twin Cities, this museum memorializes the 1894 Hinckley Fire. But hurry, the museum is only open May through mid-October. Find current hours and admission here.

Also check out our Touch-A-Truck Calendar.

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