Saying Thanks! East Kingston, NH Firefighters To Host Open House

East Kingston residents will be able to meet firefighters, tour the station and view demonstrations during an open house and community appreciation event on Saturday.

Chief Ed Warren said the event also serves as another "thank you" to the community members who made donations that allowed for the addition of a shower, which may have potentially saved lives.

Prior to the shower being installed in June of last year, members of the fire department were using a garden hose and small kiddie pool to decontaminate after every call so they could prevent the spread of COVID-19.

A tarp was used for privacy.

A picture of the pool can be seen on the GoFundMe page put together by the East Kingston Fire Association last year.

The fundraising page provides some more information about the project.

Building a shower was the goal of the association prior to the pandemic because firefighters have to decontaminate on a regular basis, but keeping the community safe meant decontamination after every call once COVID-19 hit.

The association raised $5,070 and that money ended up being used on other personal protective equipment and critical supplies because a number of local organizations stepped up to help the department, which is comprised of volunteers, on-call employees and staff members.

Construction Services of New Hampshire in Epping offered to remodel the bathroom and install the shower; Lowe's in Seabrook donated all the materials and other companies in Bedford and Manchester offered their services.

Fire Chief Ed Warren offered a statement about Saturday's event and the bathroom upgrade.

“The community support for our bathroom/shower upgrade was incredible, especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic,” Warren said. “We would love for the community to join us on Saturday, so we can thank everyone in person.”

The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the fire station located at 5 Main Street in East Kingston.

Contact Managing News Editor Kimberley Haas at Kimberley.Haas@townsquaremedia.com.