Every one of Cape Coral's 13 fire stations will throw open its bay doors Saturday morning, inviting residents to climb into ambulances, meet police K-9s, and watch firefighters pry open a wrecked car during a free community open house running from 9 a.m. to noon.
The citywide event, detailed on the Cape Coral Fire Department's open house page, lets visitors tour any of the 13 locations during the three-hour window. At Station 1, located at 4610 Coronado Parkway, the American Red Cross will lead Family and Friends CPR practice while OneBlood runs a blood drive from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., according to the department's event listing.
Police K-9s and a Flood Simulator
Over at Station 2, on 521 Nicholas Parkway, Cape Coral Police Department officers and their K-9 partners will be on hand alongside patrol vehicles and equipment, the fire department's page notes. A few miles away at Station 3, 1627 Everest Parkway, Public Works will roll out heavy equipment while Emergency Management runs an interactive flood simulator, letting attendees get a firsthand sense of what rising water looks like in a controlled setting.
As WINK News reported, the open house touches nearly every corner of the city, giving residents a reason to visit stations they might otherwise never set foot in. The station's report notes that addresses for Station 6 differ between accounts, with one listing it on Chiquita Parkway and the fire department's own event page listing vehicle-extrication demonstrations at an address on Chiquita Boulevard; residents heading there should confirm the location before Saturday.
Helicopters, Airboats and Hazmat Gear
Station 8, at 707 Southwest First Street, will host a Lee County Mosquito Control District helicopter that visitors can sit in, plus a Lee County Hyacinth Control airboat, per the same account from the fire department's event listing. Further north, Station 11 at 1038 Burnt Store Road will let guests explore the inside of an ambulance and check out the LeeFlight rescue helicopter up close.
Special operations take center stage at Station 12, 2129 Chiquita Boulevard, which the department describes as its hazmat team station. The site will showcase equipment used to identify and mitigate hazardous materials, along with urban search-and-rescue capabilities and TRISAR K-9 search and recovery partners, according to the department's open house page.
A Department-Wide Invitation
The Cape Coral Fire Department has framed the event simply as an open invitation to visit any of its 13 stations during the three-hour window Saturday. Beyond the demonstrations at individual stations, the broader goal is for residents to meet the firefighters who serve their neighborhoods and get a closer look at the apparatus, equipment and services the department relies on every day.
