Simplicity is best.

In the past, the Twin Valley Fire Department (TVFD) and Elverson-Honey Brook Area EMS would hold separate open house events, despite sharing a building.

That is no more. The departments will host a joint open house event on Saturday, Sept. 26, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the station, 4456 W. Main St., Elverson.

"It was kind of confusing because they're in the same building," said Paige Miller, who works full time at the EMS company and volunteers with TVFD. "This year, we're coming together to do it all as one big event."

The event will feature meetups with members of both organizations, safety demonstrations, food and drinks, children's activities and free blood pressure checks.

The organizations will combine for several demonstrations, including an auto accident simulation and a scenario where the Caernarvon Township Police Department will demonstrate arresting an individual. The fire department will also conduct a car fire demonstration with a propane tank prop, as well as a house fire simulation.

"We call it a dollhouse with different flaps in it," Miller explained. "That'll simulate the flow of fire movement to show it depending on if your door's open in your house, what it's going to do to change the fire direction, versus if you keep your bedroom door closed at night."

The EMS company will also do CPR demonstrations. A-Z Health Services, based in Elverson, will conduct the free blood pressure checks.

Various food trucks will be at the event, including the PA Boys BBQ truck. The two companies will also provide cupcakes, coffee and a lemonade stand.

Children will have the opportunity to tour the fire and EMS trucks and will additionally have the chance to use a real, working fire hose from TVFD.

"I personally really enjoy doing these community events," Miller said. "I really like the fact that we can bring them into our space and give them an opportunity to see more of what we have and a demonstration of what we do. That way, I feel if something does happen to them in the community, they already have at least seen some of our faces and know what we do and how we work."

TVFD is a 100% volunteer organization that primarily serves parts of Berks and Chester counties, including Caernarvon Township, Elverson Borough, New Morgan Borough, Warwick Township, West Nantmeal Township and East Nantmeal Township. The department also provides mutual aid services to several other areas, including in Lancaster County and on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

The Elverson-Honey Brook Area EMS is made up of full-time and part-time employees, as well as volunteers. Through June, the company has responded to nearly 2,000 emergency calls this year. The organization hit a high-water mark by responding to 3,192 calls last year.

"We also do ride-alongs, so we get a good bit of students and people learning about EMS work that come and see what we do for the day," Miller said.

Also coming up, TVFD is holding a joint gun and bingo fundraiser with the Geigertown Fire Company. The fundraiser will be held on Saturday, Oct. 10, from 6 to 10 p.m. at the joint TVFD/Elverson-Honey Brook EMS station. There is a cost to register; the link to do so can be found by searching for "Twin Valley Fire Department" on Facebook.

More information on the fire department and the EMS company can be found by visiting http://www.tvfd69.com and http://www.ehbems.org, respectively. The EMS company can also be found on Facebook by searching "Elverson-Honey Brook Area EMS" on the platform.