Families in Moncton, N.B., enjoy education and demonstrations as part of Fire Prevention Week

Firefighters in Moncton, N.B., demonstrate "the jaws of life" hydraulic rescue device as part of Fire Prevention Week events.

Dozens of families watched firefighters pull apart a car in a matter of minutes Saturday morning in Moncton, N.B., as fire halls around the Greater Moncton area held open houses to kick off Fire Prevention Week.

The largest event took place at Fire Station 5 on Hildegard Drive in the city’s north end.

Hundreds of kids were able to sit in firetrucks, boats and play in a bouncy castle.

The biggest highlight was watching five firefighters use the “jaws of life,” a hydraulic rescue tool, to dismantle a car. The exercise displayed how rescuers extract people from their vehicles when they are trapped after a crash.

Moncton Fire Department Deputy Chief of Operations Keith Guptill said open houses are a great way to educate newcomers who have arrived in Moncton over the past few years.

“Its exposure,” said Guptill. “There’s a lot of new folks who live in the city now that have come in from other countries, from other provinces and states and we want them to have an understanding of safety.”

Guptill said as many as 2,500 people attended the event over the past few years. He said he wants the kids to sit in the trucks and pretend to be a firefighter for a day and take a few lessons with them when they leave.

“Firefighters are not scary,” said Guptill. “The apparatus and equipment that we have, while it might be noisy or loud or large, it’s there to help them whether they’ve been in an accident with their family or if their house is on fire. We want them to have that understanding and get rid of some of that fear.”

Guptill said he hopes the event help educate parents about smoke detectors and safe cooking practices.

Fire Prevention Week runs until Oct. 12

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