Formal ceremony, live vehicle fire demonstration among plans for Station No. 3 open house on Saturday

By BRENDAN MILLER on September 12, 2025.

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bmiller@medicinehatnews.com

On Saturday, Medicine Hat Fire and Emergency Services will host an open house event for the public at Station No. 3, located near the airport, which will include a formal ceremony to honour Firefighter’s Memorial Day, a live vehicle fire demonstration and even grab hot dog topped off with award-winning chili made by local firefighters.

The free public event, held to celebrate 125 years of service in Medicine Hat, will kick off at 10 a.m. with a variety of public education and family-friendly activities.

However, at 11 a.m. sharp, the fire hall will host a formal ceremony to observe National Firefighter’s Memorial Day and list the names of the fallen firefighters who have passed in Medicine Hat.

This weekend until Monday, flags at city facilities will be lowered to half-mast to commemorate the national day of mourning observed each year on the second Sunday of September.

“(It’s) to honour those who have sacrificed their life for this job,” said Kelli Ireland, fire and life safety educator. “So we’ll have a ceremony at 11, and then we will encourage everybody to stay.”

That’s because, Ireland says, firefighters will perform several live demonstrations for the public, including a simulation of a vehicle fire.

“We are going to do everything,” explains Ireland. “People are going to get to listen to what the 911 call sounds like, then we’re going to have our guys get dressed, jump in the truck, drive the truck and engine around back where there’ll be a smashed up vehicle that’s going to be smoking as though it’s on fire.”

The demonstration will show viewers how firefighters extricate people from dangerous situations, and provide a glimpse behind the scenes of a 911 call and how information is relayed from dispatchers to first responders.

“Even just hearing that phone call and the questions that are asked,” says Ireland. “As soon as they (911 dispatchers) type in vehicle fire, there’s a specific set of questions for vehicle fire, which will be different than a house fire, different than a car accident.

“So just to hear some of those questions that are asked from our dispatch team, people will be quite amazed at the level of information … I think the whole thing will just be a great experience for people.”

Members of the Medicine Hat Firefighters Charitable Foundation will also grill hotdogs during the open house that can be topped off with their award-winning chili, for a donation to the foundation.

“We are asking for a bit of a donation, which is going to go strictly to supporting the firefighters charitable foundation,” says Ireland.

The Redcliff Youth Centre will also be on hand to help future firefighters create their very own custom fire badges, and of course, Sparky the Fire Dog, will make an appearance.

The open house will also include interactive displays on fire safety and water rescue, historic memorabilia displays, fire hose demonstrations and the junior fire-fit course (similar to an obstacle course but for firefighters).

The open house runs Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Fire Station No. 3, located at 5 Les Little Way SW.