HomeCommunity NewsAnna Maria IslandFireside Chats: Chatting about...

Fireside Chats: Chatting about our annual open house

In 1871, from October 8th through the 10th the city of Chicago was ravaged by a fire that destroyed 3.3 square miles. For perspective, the whole of Anna Maria Island is 3.96 square miles. When the great conflagration was finally extinguished, 300 lives perished, the fire burned nearly 18,000 structures, left approximately 100,000 people homeless and cost $200 million in losses (adjusted for inflation, that is $5.4 billion by today’s standards). In 1922, In remembrance of this tragic event, the United States government declared the week surrounding October 9th National Fire Prevention Week. This year, on the centennial of its declaration, National Fire Prevention Week remains the longest uninterrupted national observance.

Fireside Chats: Chatting about our annual open house
The Great Chicago Fire. – Submitted

In the past, in observation of National Fire Prevention Week, West Manatee Fire Rescue District visited public schools and pre-schools within our district and educated children about the power of fire and the many ways in which we, as individuals, and as a community can prevent a repeat of The Great Chicago Fire.

Our observance of National Fire Prevention Week has always culminated in our annual Open house event. Our annual open house is and has always been a free event, hailed by many as “the hottest event of the day” throughout Manatee County, and features fun-filled activities designed to entertain and educate the public regarding fire and life safety. Tragically, the emergence of COVID-19 in early 2020 disrupted this tradition, making 2019’s Open House the last of these occasions before the pandemic forced communities into a long period of quarantining and social distancing. Recently, our community and extended communities to the south of us were battered ferociously by Hurricane Ian.

Throughout various epochs of history, communities have rallied during times like these under a simple, yet powerful, Latin phrase – Post Tenebras Lux, (After darkness, light).

With our community returning to a greater semblance of normalcy in this post-COVID era and with the ongoing and overwhelming outpouring of community cohesion in the name of recovery, we believe it is not only important but necessary, to resume the West Manatee Fire Rescue District Annual Open House tradition and come together as a community. To that end, we are thrilled to announce WMFR will be hosting the return of our Annual Open House on Saturday, Nov. 5 from 11 am until 2 pm at West Manatee Fire Rescue District Station 1, located at 407 67th St. W., Bradenton, FL 34209. Come out, meet your local first responders and enjoy free food, drinks, games, tours of a fire truck and much more. We hope to see you there!

Most Popular

More from Author

Fireside Chats: Chatting about Mother’s Day…and safety

Someone once said, “Life doesn’t come with a manual, it comes...

Fireside Chats: Drowning Prevention

It’s that time of year again. You know, when the average...

Fireside chats: Vacation rentals

Our community is changing. That’s a given, but communities are always...

Fireside Chats: Talking fire & life safety with WMFR

In early 1933, United States President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) gave...

Floridian Mortgage wins championship

ANNA MARIA – Spring has sprung and winter sports at The Center are coming to a close, with team Floridian Mortgage earning the win against team Moss Builders Thursday night in the adult co-ed flag football championship game. The top two teams in the league matched up in...

Man completes Chamber passport program in five hours

ANNA MARIA ISLAND - The annual Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce’s Passport Program is a fun way for residents and visitors to the Island to get out and discover Island businesses with a passport offered for free by the chamber. Participants are encouraged to get their passports...

One ARK Foundation raises funds for foster families

live music, delicious food and spirited fundraising as the One ARK Foundation held its second annual “Kindness Matters Extravaganza” at The Cheesecake Cutie & Cafe on March 21. “One ARK” stands for “one act of random kindness” and is a newly-established 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded by The Cheesecake...

Save our homes

This column should be titled “Save our Taxes,” since that’s what we’re really talking about. However, saving on property taxes is part of the Save Our Homes benefits and portability transfers are another piece of this law. In January of 2008, the Florida Legislature passed legislation that allows...

 Reel Time: Salon fundraiser meets with success

Salon (noun) - a conversational gathering of notables held at the home of a prominent person. On Saturday afternoon, Suncoast Waterkeeper held its Suncoast Salon fundraiser at the Sarasota home of Anna Maria residents Bill and Debbie Partridge. The event was a sellout and attracted some of...

Temporary paid parking vendors hired

BRADENTON BEACH – City commissioners considered four temporary use parking permits at the March 21 commission meeting and after much discussion, approved three with stipulations, denying one. Permit applications were submitted by developer Shawn Kaleta for temporary parking lots at 102 Third St. N., 207 Church Ave. and...

Fire department sued over rental regulations

BRADENTON – Almost a year after passing a resolution changing the district’s approach to taxing and inspecting vacation rental properties in residential areas, West Manatee Fire Rescue is receiving pushback from one rental owner. During a March 19 commission meeting, the district’s attorney, Maggie Mooney, informed the board...

Bridge Street traffic, parking among commission concerns

BRADENTON BEACH – In what was an unusually lengthy, seven-hour city commission meeting that began at noon on March 21, commissioners dove into parking and traffic issues, pickleball and organ donation. BRIDGE STREET ONE WAY? A Bridge Street business owner asked the commission to consider making Bridge Street one...

Scaccianoce new Bradenton Beach commissioner

BRADENTON BEACH – Ward 1 has a new commissioner. The application for commissioner by business owner and former Manatee County records manager Deborah Scaccianoce was approved by the commission and she was sworn in at its March 21 meeting. She filled the vacant seat left by former Commissioner Jake...

Kruse talks beach parking, Island consolidation

HOLMES BEACH – About two dozen people came out on March 20 to meet with Manatee County Commissioner George Kruse, bringing their questions for the candidate, who is seeking re-election in November. Kruse held a town hall meeting at the Island Branch Library where he answered every question...

Commissioners deny bids for paid parking

BRADENTON BEACH – Rather than partnering with an outside vendor as planned, commissioners are now considering city-managed paid parking lots throughout Bradenton Beach. The city had put out a Request for Proposals (RFP) on Feb. 9 to “Provide the City with a complete parking management and enforcement system...