Westwego Volunteer Fire Company No. 1 will throw open its annual Fireman’s Fair and Expo on Saturday, September 19, turning the Westwego Farmers Market into a daylong showcase of fire trucks, live rescue demonstrations, and free public safety lessons aimed squarely at the kitchen. The free event runs noon to 6 p.m. at 4849 Sala Ave. and closes with a concert by Swamp Pop musician Aaron Foret from 3 to 6 p.m.
According to a Westwego Volunteer Fire Company No. 1 post announcing the event, the fair will display all of the department’s fire trucks alongside live demonstrations covering kitchen grease fires, vehicle extrication, and an E.D.I.T.H. smokehouse trailer for kids. Vendors will sell food and drinks throughout the day, and organizers describe the fair as the department’s biggest fundraiser of the year, a distinction that lines up with the department’s own account of the event as its largest annual moneymaker, per the City of Westwego.
The department traces its roots back to 1922 and now runs two fire stations staffed by a mix of volunteer and career firefighters, per the city. It also offers free home fire safety inspections and smoke alarm installations year-round, work that helped the Property Insurance Association of Louisiana upgrade the department to a Class 2 fire rating in 2021 — a distinction that can lower property insurance premiums for Westwego residents and business owners, since PIAL rates departments on a 1-to-10 scale where Class 1 is the highest possible mark.
Grease Fires and a New Room Simulator
One demonstration will directly target the leading cause of house fires in America. Firefighters plan to show attendees how to use a fire extinguisher on a kitchen grease fire, reinforcing the department’s own warning, shared on Facebook, that water should never be poured on a grease fire. National Fire Protection Association data updated this year shows cooking causes nearly 49% of all reported U.S. home structure fires, and unattended cooking alone is responsible for more than 30% of home cooking fires…