GFD partners with other agencies for annual open house

Trying to protect his nose from a local youngster, Sparky the Fire Dog has some fun during the recent Public Safety Open House hosted by the Greencastle Fire Department.

Banner Graphic/JARED JERNAGAN

When it came time for Greencastle Fire Department to restart its annual open house after a five-year hiatus, Chief Rob Frank enlisted some help.

On Thursday, it wasn’t simply the fire department there to greet members of the public when they came to the event. It also included Putnam County CERT, Putnam County Hospital, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, Greencastle Police Department, Putnam County 911 Dispatch and Putnam County EMS.

“We all work together as a team, so we might as well work together on an open house,” Frank said. “I think it turned out really well having all the different agencies together. It takes all of us working together.”

Of course, the families who attended still found some of the things they might have expected five years ago before COVID-19 brought the tradition to a standstill — the GFD smoke house, Sparky the Fire Dog, free hot dogs and plenty of fire trucks, both new and old, for the kids to climb on and learn about.

Frank said he is already working with newly-appointed Fire Prevention Officer Brock Beebe to add to the event for 2025.

“Next year, we’re talking about adding a few things to make it even better,” Frank said.

For now, the focus goes on to Fire Prevention Week, which began Monday.

“Planning this and getting everybody to come out has been a big deal,” Frank said. “We’ll be out at the schools next.”