It's no mystery what role your local fire department plays in the community. You regularly see firefighters pile into their iconic engines on the road, and everyone has pulled over at least once for the blaring siren that signals an emergency response. But few outside of the most aptly named service could tell you exactly what gear they don when setting out on a call or what tools they employ to save lives in the midst of a catastrophe. To shed some light on its methods and procedures, the Quarryville Fire Department, 217 E. State St., Quarryville, will host a family fun night on Saturday, April 15, from 4 to 8 p.m.

The family fun night will include food and beverages by donation, including hot dogs, chips and bottled drinks. The event will serve as an opportunity for those in the community to meet their local firefighters, special division members and fire police officers, as well as to put a face to those who help keep the area safe. Members of the Quarryville Fire Department will offer demonstrations of different types of equipment, detailing what name and function each piece has. A junior and senior member of the company will also compete in a gear race. Each firefighter will begin with a full set of equipment laid before him; the first one to get into gear wins. The goal of the activity is to illustrate just how quickly firefighters can get ready to respond to a call.

The Quarryville Fire Department will present a rescue demonstration as well, during which a member of the company will be placed in a scrap vehicle. Other firefighters will then showcase the tools they use to cut open a wrecked car on a call to free the occupant. They will explain each part of the process and follow each step of their standard procedure. In addition to the gear and rescue demonstrations, firefighters will also set up different types of equipment for attendees to learn about and use, such as a firehose and bucket rides on a 95-foot-long firetruck ladder.

"We're trying to educate the public on what we do and instill fire safety as well," said Jason Hess, a fire police officer with the Quarryville Fire Department. "I feel it's important that the public knows how we respond and gets to see behind the scenes. It's also a great way to engage with your local first responders."

The Quarryville Fire Department held its first family fun night last year as a recruitment event, to draw in volunteers which attracted over 100 attendees. Members of the fire company will be available to answer questions throughout the event. For more information, visit http://www.qfd57.com.