Granger’s public safety agencies — the Granger Police Department, Granger Volunteer Fire Department and Granger EMS — hosted a two-hour open house Thursday at the firehouse, meeting and greeting the public in what they plan to make an annual event.
Several dozen area parents brought their youngsters to the public safety center at 1906 Main St. in Granger, where the kids played safety-related games and scrambled around on the fire trucks while their elders saw demonstrations of a variety of life-saving equipment.
“This is a great opportunity for folks in the community to meet their public safety crews in a relaxed atmosphere,” said Granger Police Chief Kelly Owen. “Granger is growing, and new residents need to know we’re here for them.”
Owen has led the city’s law enforcement team since January 2015, when he replaced retiring Granger Police Chief Lyle Griswold, who served the city for 25 years.
Granger Volunteer Fire Department Chief Jarrod Sturtz said members of the city’s 15-person volunteer firefighting crew are normally only at the firehouse for training or for fire calls, so the open house gave both the public and the firefighters themselves a chance to socialize in a non-emergency situation.
Sturtz said the Granger EMS has received about 230 calls for service so far in 2016, and the department is already on its third ambulance, with a replacement scheduled in two years.
Granger EMS Captain Patty Tiernan and the ambulabnce crew were also on hand to check visitors’ blood pressure, demonstrate CPR and explain the uses of the machinery.
Granger Volunteer Fire Department Captain Matt Dose, in his third year with the department, said the “Stayin’ Alive” method is recommended, referring to a popular disco song from the 1970s.
“That’s just the right CPR rate for 100 beats a minute,” Dose said as he demonstrated on an infant doll. “Ah-ah-ah-ah-Stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive,” he sang.
Fundraisers, such as the December pancake breakfast, Highway 141 sale and Granger Days, will stay on the calendar, with the annual open house a purely social event, according to Granger Volunteer Fire Department Assistant Chief Christopher Davis.
Davis said he has been on the Granger department for four years but has a total of 24 years’ experience as a firefighter, including time as a U.S. Navy firefighter and on departments for Northern Warren County, Booneville Township and Alameda County in northern California.
Dallas County Sheriff Chad Leonard attended the two-hour open house, and Smokey the Bear also made a guest appearance, still in the woods hereabouts after the recent National Fire Prevention Week, and everyone snacked on refreshments provided by the Granger Emergency Services Auxiliary.
