Watching a simulated car rescue, viewing emergency vehicles and apparatus and learning about fire safety are just some of the activities that youths ages 5 to 14 will enjoy during the 2024 Kids' Fire Experience, a camp being offered this summer at the Christiana Fire Company.

The annual event will begin with a Family Night on Friday, Aug. 23, from 6:30 to 9 p.m., followed by Skills Day on Saturday, Aug. 24, which has been tentatively set to run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The registration deadline is Monday, July 29. Late registrations will not be accepted.

On Family Night, children will receive a T-shirt to wear to camp the following day. There will also be carnival games. "We will have a huge inflatable obstacle course, a dunk tank, balloon animals, face painting, touch-a-truck, a dime toss and water games," said Kim Moore, vice president of the Christiana Fire Company and one of the organizers of the fire camp. Free food will also be offered.

During Skills Day on Aug. 24, participants will rotate through a series of stations that will be led by local emergency workers who hail from southern Chester County and Lancaster County. Moore noted that about 100 volunteers participate and each company generally brings emergency vehicles, equipment and five or six crew members.

"We will have a disaster trailer coming this year. It demonstrates bad weather and what to do," said Moore, "You sit in this trailer, and you feel the effects of storm winds and rain. They use it right now in the western states because of the weather, but it will be back in time for camp."

Participants will also learn how to use a fire extinguisher, the proper technique of rolling up a fire hose and how a vehicle is stabilized with wooden blocks after an accident. "It's called cribbing. We do that so it doesn't shift in the middle of extracting someone from a vehicle," explained Moore.

Moore noted that the camp has been held at the fire company since 2005. Last year, there were more than 100 youths in attendance. "(Last year) they liked the car cutting class," she said, explaining that the procedure is what emergency workers do to rescue a trapped victim. "There was a kitchen safety class that a lot of the adults and chaperones also liked. It was about what to do if a pot (on the stove) caught on fire."

She said the goal of the fire camp is for children not to be afraid of EMS workers, police officers and firefighters in the event of a real emergency. In addition, the camp hopes to attract future volunteers and staff members. "We have several people that have come back as adults and held offices in our fire company as well as others," Moore noted. "As long as one person (who attends camp) ... comes back to volunteer, it's well worth it."

The all-volunteer Christiana Fire Company, which serves Christiana Borough, Atglen Borough and Sadsbury Township, is located at 214 S. Bridge St., Christiana. For more information or to register for the Kids' Fire Experience, visit http://www.christianafire.com or http://www.facebook.com/christianafirecompany. Volunteers are also needed to help run the event, and they can register at the aforementioned Facebook page and website.