Firefighters, kids beat the heat with hydrant slip’n slide

John Lake Park in Saskatoon’s Avalon neighbourhood was packed with families Friday afternoon, as firefighters used hoses to create giant slip ‘n slides for some summer fun.

It’s the fourth year in a row Saskatoon Fire has put on the bi-annual event in July, inviting families to beat the heat with the help of their specialized firefighting equipment.

Saskatoon Fire is at John Lake Park right now, using a fire hose to wet a slip n slide for kids. #yxe pic.twitter.com/m6BFPLdKlR

— Chris Vandenbreekel (@Vandecision) July 13, 2018

Children lined up in the park to get their chance to be propelled down plastic sheets on the hill, assisted by a firefighter spraying water from the nearby hydrant and some baby oil laid down on the track.

“There’s a lot of expensive things to do with your children, so it’s great to have this option that’s free and fun,” said Shana Hall, who brought her kids to the park.

“It’s nice outside, there’s so many families and friends to see. It’s great.”

I've also had to dodge the hoses a few times with my microphone when they do a general spray. #yxe pic.twitter.com/AvgOkSTwpo

— Chris Vandenbreekel (@Vandecision) July 13, 2018

The event ran between 1 and 3 p.m., giving firefighters an opportunity to provide fun — instead of donning all their gear to head into a blazing building.

Community relations officer Kurt Delorme said it’s a nice change of pace for the team.

“This is fun. The public gets interactive with our members, and it’s a fun atmosphere,” he said. “They’re always big community events.”

A second event is planned for later in July, but Delorme said they have a hard time balancing when to start promoting the event.

“We don’t want to notify the public too early or else we’ll get too many people out,” he said.

“We want to make sure it’s enjoyable so people aren’t waiting a half-hour just to go down the slide.”

He wouldn’t reveal where the next slip’n slide event would be held, but he did give a hint.

“We need a park with a hill, and a nearby fire hydrant … there are a lot of each, but not a lot that are near each other,” he said.