By Whitney Denson | Special to the Advertiser

The Chilton County Firefighters Association will host its sixth annual Day on Sept. 26.

The free event is open to everyone and will be held at the Central Alabama Horse Club arena, located off Hwy. 145 at Interstate 65 Exit 212, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Volunteer firefighter and committee member Lee Headley said the event was started in order to give back to the community and teach kids about fire safety.

“We just want to let the kids come out and have a good time,” Headley said. “It lets them know what to expect if they ever have an emergency and have to call 911.”

Attractions will include appearances by Smokey Bear and Sparky the Fire Dog, fire trucks, rescue and ladder trucks, ambulances, TV personalities and more.

Headley said Haynes Life Flight will also be on site to show children about their rescue methods.

“You could say we’re really targeting grades kindergarten through fourth grade,” Headley said. “But all ages will benefit from the presentations and information in the goodie bags.”

In addition to the display of rescue vehicles, the Fun Day will also have numerous free games and prizes, inflatables, a dunking booth, a cake walk, free T-shirts, gospel singing and more.

“We try to make this happen every year around this time to let kids and parents know about how we can help handle an emergency when someone calls 911,” Headley said. “We make everything free so everyone can get something out of it.

“If we couldn’t do it for free, we wouldn’t do it.”

The Fun Day is supported by RPS Ambulance Service, Care Ambulance Service, Alabama Forestry Division and other corporate sponsors throughout the county.

“We’ve had a great deal of support from people in the county over the years,” Headley said. “We do take a lot of the fundraising on ourselves, so we sell ads and banners and stuff like that to help put on the event.”

The Chilton County Firefighters Association is made up of volunteer firefighters from each substation throughout the county.

“All the guys we have out there are volunteers,” Headley said. “They all want to help the kids and see them have a good time.”

Last year’s event yielded hundreds of people, according to Headley.

Those who attend will receive a free “brown bag lunch,” including a hotdog, chips and a drink.

“It’s going to be a great thing for families and kids to do,” Headley said.