Annual Firefest returns to Lake Tahoe

Fire Fest is returning to the South Shore on Saturday, September 21, 2019, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. outside the back of Hard Rock Casino Lake Tahoe. Admission is free and it's a great opportunity for families to have fun while learning about safety and conservation.

Helicopters will be the stars this year as they land just outside the venue at the Hard Rock Casino Lake Tahoe. What an incredible opportunity to get a close-up look at these amazing machines! Crews will be on hand to answer questions and explain how they help us when we need them most.

Back this year are the K9 dog demonstration and a free car seat checkpoint. Kids will have an opportunity to climb aboard a fire engine, squirt a fire hose, enjoy the bounce house, and 'escape from the burn house.' There will also be an opportunity to watch our local firefighters use the Jaws of Life to extract someone from a demolished vehicle, as well as put out a burning building.

Warm-up your throwing arm and try your luck at dunking a Fire Chief.

Sponsored by the Lake Tahoe Kiwanis Club, this annual event is hosted by our local fire agencies, including Lake Valley Fire District, the Tahoe Douglas Fire District, Fallen Leaf Lake CSD Fire Department, the City of South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue, CAL FIRE and the USDA Forest Service. This event highlights all our safety agencies, creating a day celebrating fire and ife safety for children and families.

Participants include South Tahoe Public Utility District, South Tahoe Refuse and Recycling, Southwest Gas, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and SERVPRO, all who have added home safety, energy and water conservation to this broad ranging community event with interests for everyone. Lake Tahoe Fire Academy cadets and the California Conservation Corp volunteers will assist throughout the event. Food and beverages will be available for purchase and are masterfully barbequed by the
Kiwanis Club, along with other snacks at family-friendly prices.

Fire Fest began as a way to recognize National Fire Prevention Week, which was initially established in remembrance of the great Chicago fire of 1891, and to keep the public informed about the importance of fire prevention.

In 1920, President Woodrow Wilson issued the first National Fire Prevention
Day proclamation, and since 1922, Fire Prevention Week has been observed on the second Sunday in October. This year, Fire Prevention Week runs from October 7-13. Fire Prevention Week is the longest-running public health and safety observance on record, according to the National Archives and Records Administration’s Library Information Center. Learn more about Fire Prevention Week at http://www.nfpa.org/.