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Emergency Fest To Offer ‘Serious Fun’ for Kids, All Ages on Saturday, May 30 on ASU Campus

Firefighters enact an emergency situation involving a bus.
Firefighters enact an emergency situation involving a bus.

By Josiah Clark

The 12th annual Emergency Fest will take place on Saturday, May 30, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Peacock Parking Lot, (formerly Raley Lot), and will be a fun learning experience for children of all ages. The event is free and open to the public.

Organized and sponsored by the Watauga County Firefighters Association, personnel from all of the county’s emergency-service organizations will be attending.

Children will be given an exciting opportunity to meet with and learn from emergency personnel, as well as safely explore fire trucks, police cars and ambulances.

The goal of Emergency Fest is to “bring awareness to the community of the capabilities of emergency services in the High Country.”

The events include fire extinguisher training, texting while driving challenges by the State Highway Patrol, a controlled burning by the Boone Fire Department and a live demolition display by the Wilkes County Bomb Squad. There will also be clowns, bounce houses, a scavenger hunt and free raffle giveaways.

Amy Flieg, a fire prevention specialist with the Boone Fire Department, called it “Serious fun, and free for everyone!”

Flieg added, “It’s a great way for us to interact with all of the other emergency-service departments as well as the general public. Likewise, it gives the general public an opportunity to interact with us and learn from us in a safe, non-emergency environment.”

The emergency-service departments scheduled for the event include Police, Fire, Rescue, HAZMAT, Red Cross, Ski Patrol, MADD, NRLP, NC Forestry, State Disaster Response and Medical Services.

Please visit the Watauga County Emergency Fest Facebook Page for more information.

See a few images from a previous Emergency Fest:

Medic personnel are among the many emergency personnel on hand at the fest.
Medic personnel are among the many emergency personnel on hand at the fest.
This event is geared for kids.
This event is geared for kids.
After an afternoon of learning, the kids will love to jump in the bounce house.
After an afternoon of learning, the kids will love to jump in the bounce house.