The Estevan Police Service’s (EPS) second annual open house has grown to include the other emergency response teams in the city.
The EPS, the Estevan Fire Rescue Service and the Estevan Emergency Medical Services (EMS) will team up to host the event on Aug. 20 at 11am in the 300 block of 11th Avenue. Last year’s open house was organized by the EPS, but the city police decided to invite other emergency services to participate this year.
“We’re neighbours with the fire department, so why aren’t we inviting them as well, because we get more bang for the buck?” said police Chief Paul Ladouceur. “Kids can come out, they can tour the police station, they can tour the fire station, they can tour the fire trucks, they can tour the police cars and do other stuff.”
Once the fire department was on board, the police and the fire department thought it made sense to have the EMS there, too, so they would have everyone together for the event.
The RCMP will also be invited to participate.
Ladouceur expects all the different units for the EPS will be there, with the equipment and technology they have to do their jobs.
Last year’s open house featured a bouncy castle shaped like a police car, a barbecue, cotton candy, popcorn, a child identification station and an impaired driving simulator. Ladouceur expects all of those attractions will be back this year, but there will also be some fire rescue apparatus and gear for young people to try out.
“We like to try to do as much as we can, and hopefully bring in some new ideas each year,” said Ladouceur. “We want to continue this year after year, and we think it’s a great way to engage the community.
“We had a lot of positive feedback on it last year. In fact, our officers were surprised with the number of tours they wound up doing. They couldn’t believe how many people wanted to tour the building.”
Proceeds from the event will be directed towards a community event or a non-profit organization in the city. Admission to the event will be free, but they will be seeking donations for the barbecue lunch.
