The West Metro Fire-Rescue District turns 25 Thursday, and to celebrate the department will hold an open house billed as the "biggest public event" in its history.
From 4 to 8 p.m., the public can tour the station at 4251 Xylon Av. N. and see fire trucks and equipment the department uses to respond to fires, emergency medical calls, water and ice rescues, hazardous materials response and mitigation and incidents at the Crystal Airport.
In addition to a DJ and food trucks, Thursday's event will feature demonstrations of how firefighters carry out technical rescues and vehicle extrications, Assistant Fire Chief Joel Nelson said.
Children will have the opportunity to chop a log, crawl through a tube, carry a hose and spray a toy house that is "on fire," Nelson said.
"It's a kid version of what we do for [firefighter] testing," he said.
The district formed in 1998 when the New Hope and Crystal fire departments merged to combine resources and save money, Nelson said.
The department has eight full-time and about 60 on-call crew members who answer between 2,000 and 2,200 calls a year.
