Fireman's Fair Canceled Saturday, Department Ready for Storm

The Firemen’s Fair has been canceled for Saturday night due to .

Fire Chief Wade Davis said that the opening night went well, but now it is time to focus on preparing for the hurricane that is making its way up the east coast.

“We had a moderate crowd last night, I think because a lot of people are getting ready for the storm," he said. "When everyone left at 11, we took everything down and began getting the grounds ready for the storm.”

The firemen, volunteers and ride vendors took down most of the rides and tied everything down Friday night. “It was very similar to the last night of the fair. The ride vendor dismantled everything as if they were going home. The firemen took down the tent and secured everything that was loose,” said Davis. “The grounds should be very secure.”

With the fair grounds taken care of, the fire company can now focus on preparing for the storm and tending to any emergencies that should occur. Davis said the fire company is ready for whatever happens. 

“We have ensured all equipment is fueled up and running properly, including the fire trucks, chainsaws, battery-operated tools and radios. Our Marine Unit is ready with two boats, in case of flooding. Our ambulances are fully stocked with EMS supplies,” he said. “At the firehouse, we have provisions for our firefighters and EMTs, as we stand-by there during storms for a quicker and safer response. Our firehouse generator has been tested, in case we lose power.”

Once the storm passes, the fire department will evaluate the situation and decide when to re-open the fair.

“Hopefully depending on what happens we are going to try to get everything up for Monday night. It all depends on how bad the storm is and how long it will take us to get everything back up. We might have to spend Monday night getting everything back up again,” said Davis.

The annual Firemen’s Fair is not only a strong Fair Haven tradition, but also a fund raiser for the Fair Haven's volunteer fire department. Davis said he is confident the rest of the nights of the fair should make up for their loss of Saturday night.

“If we can get the rest of the nights in, we should be okay. We always anticipate a bad weather day. We just need good weather for the rest of the week and we should be able to make up for the loss of tonight,” said Davis. 

The re-opening night of the fair will be posted on the company Web site once a call is made after the storm.