The El Paso Fire Department is listing Fire Fest at Veterans Park on Oct. 17. The event listing describes a community gathering with kids' activities, mascots, and food trucks. The listing does not establish a theme or a detailed program, but it points families toward a Saturday with the people who answer their 911 calls.
According to the El Paso Fire Department on Facebook, the department has promoted Fire Fest. The event material lists kids' activities, mascots, and food trucks. The cited material does not establish a 2026 primary sponsor, sponsorship history, onsite vaccines, or a farmers market.
Fire Fest's Listed Venue
Fire Fest's available event material places the festival at Veterans Park. The cited material does not establish when the department launched the event, whether it was intended as an annual festival, the venue history, or the reason for any move.
Air Methods reported in August 2024 that its partnership with the City of El Paso had been approved, with the new air-medical base scheduled to open in September, per Air Methods. The five-year municipal contract expanded critical air medical transport across El Paso County. Air Methods' account describes the aircraft and service but does not establish a Fire Fest demonstration or landing.
Veterans Park Brings Its Own Amenities
Veterans Park sits at 5301 Salem Dr. in Northeast El Paso. The park's location provides a Northeast El Paso setting for Fire Fest.
Last year's 4th Annual Fire Fest was the subject of a City of El Paso release. The cited material does not establish which agencies or band participated, nor what regional agencies might bring to the 2026 edition.
Timing Lines Up With National Fire Prevention Month
Fire Fest's October date isn't a coincidence. The festival falls during National Fire Prevention Month and follows National Fire Prevention Week, an observance established by President Calvin Coolidge in 1925 to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, according to the National Fire Protection Association. In 2026, National Fire Prevention Week runs from October 4 to October 10, putting Fire Fest just a week after that national campaign wraps up.
A Department With National-Level Credentials
The El Paso Fire Department holds an ISO Class 1 rating, according to a release from the City of El Paso. That rating is one of the department's credentials.
EPFD traces its roots to a volunteer brigade formed in 1882 before converting to a fully career department in 1909, and it operates across a 260-square-mile service area. Department personnel respond to more than 100,000 emergency calls for service annually, covering fire suppression, advanced emergency medical care, technical rescues, and municipal 911 dispatch, per the same city account. Fire Chief Jonathan Killings, who joined the department in August 1998 and was appointed chief in December 2022, leads the agency, according to KVIA.
Fire Fest gives that department a chance to put a friendly face on its work. The event listing points to Oct. 17 at Veterans Park. The cited material does not establish admission details or a five-year run.
