GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — They are the men and women tasked with serving and protecting us daily.
Saturday, the firefighters of the Grand Rapids fire department welcomed the public in for its annual open house to demonstrate first-hand what goes into keeping us all safe.
In honor of Fire Prevention Week, from 10am - 2pm Saturday the Monroe Fire Station and Monroe Training Center were open to the public for tours and live demonstrations.
The department showed visitors how the "jaws of life" worked, sawing into an old car to demonstrate a real world crash situation. The event focused not just on fun but education, in an effort to help people better understand how multifaceted the job of a firefighter can be from day to day.
"These guys can switch modes on a moment... from cutting a car with you to inside for a rope exercise," said Kevin Sehlmeyer, deputy fire chief. "These guys, our rescue companies, they do a fantastic job and they're highly trained and you see that."
