We were blown away ( almost literally, windy in March? Who knew) by J Sargeant Reynolds Community College STEM fest.
Summit Fire & Security brought their ‘beast’ of a mobile fire sprinkler, fire alarm and fire protection training classroom and lab trailer down from Maryland to participate and it was a crowd favorite. Attendees got to put their hands on working fire systems and leave with a better understanding of active fire protection. I heard comments like that is so cool, and I didn’t know any of that as people came out. Thank you Nadine Filsinger for helping to set that up. Thank you Dickie Delss for bringing it down and providing all of the tech support.
VSC Fire & Security, Inc. was on hand to teach fire extinguisher usage and ask fire science questions of the visitor’s. You had to do one or the other to receive a prize. Wayne Gilbert braved the cold to help out.
It was cold and windy but people still came outside to participate and see what we were about.
One of the most memorable was a group of students from JR Tucker High School. They turned P.A.S.S into a loud and enthusiastic cheer. Shouting PULL, AIM, SQUEEZE, SWEEP each time someone would step up. They then would cheer loudly when they put out a fire. So much so that I had to ask if they were cheerleaders? They replied no they just really like STEMfest..no kidding!
A special thank you to Karen Neal for putting on the event and inviting us to attend. This was our second time and it was gratifying to meet people who remembered us from last year and that they specially came looking for us.
The food from the food truck was awesome. They may have been known for their barbecue but that fried chicken sandwich with Yum Yum sauce, pickles and coleslaw was amazing. If you were there and ate one you know what I am talking about.
The event was another a great example of competitors coming together for a common outreach.
It was also a lot of fun.
Even ‘Sarge’ the Red Hawk got into the spirit.
