Greensburg plans Fire Prevention Day parades

Children in Greensburg won’t be able to take part in the usual Fire Prevention Day activities at Westmoreland Mall this year, so the Greensburg Volunteer Fire Department is bringing the fun to them.

The department will hold six simultaneous mini-parades Sunday. Vehicles from each station will drive through their local neighborhoods, distributing plastic fire hats, coloring books and fire safety tips.

“It doesn’t matter what part of town you live in, we’ll be traveling through,” said department President Rick Steele.

Greensburg usually teams up with other local fire departments to host a Fire Prevention Day event at Westmoreland Mall, featuring more than 100 vehicles. Activity stations let kids try out firefighting equipment firsthand.

“We have kids lined up 50 or 60 deep,” said Greensburg Fire Chief Tom Bell.

Organizers decided not to hold the event this year because of the covid-19 pandemic. The parade is a safer alternative, Steele said.

“Instead of eliminating Fire Prevention Day completely, Greensburg Volunteer Fire Department decided we were going to go out and do it on our own,” he said.

Teaching kids lessons about fire prevention — like the importance of changing the batteries in smoke detectors — is an important part of the department’s mission, Bell said.

“The kids take it a lot more seriously (than adults),” he said. “That’s why it’s important to get kids at a young age and teach them.”

Last year, the department did more than 20 fire prevention demonstrations in schools and daycares.

“Due to covid, we’ve canceled all but maybe two or three of those,” Steele said.

That’s why the department decided to take their message to the street.

The parades start at 11 a.m. Sunday, with vehicles departing from each of the department’s six stations.