The Fire & Emergency Services are calling their Halloween Night for Kids a "huge success."
This three-hour event, which made a return to Station 1 this year following a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, saw an impressive turnout with more than 8,000 trick-or-treaters, along with their parents and others, turning out for the event.
Not only was there a generous amount of treats, but the trick is to get the community comfortable with the whole idea of firefighting, and those that work there.
"We always want the community to know that we're there to help them in so many different ways," Fire Chief Jason Whiteley told BayToday. "I always like to say that we do more than fight fires," pointing out the amount firefighters do for the community.
"I'm always so proud of the firefighters and what they do in the community that people don't see, like raising money. They support over 20 plus charities every year. We've just been part of the breast cancer fundraiser that raised $600. The year before they raised $50,000 for Community Living with the calendar. They're always doing something."
Whiteley says something like the Halloween event lets people know that they're always giving back to the community.
"We providing a safe place for people to come, have a little bit of fun, but also, you know, see the fire trucks and interact with the firefighters that are there making it a nice community event."
So many people came out that at one point towards the end, there were worries about having enough candy.
The success of this event wouldn't have been possible without the generous support of Community Living North Bay and the numerous donations from local businesses and individuals.
"We hope to build on this success and look forward to welcoming everyone back next year,” said Chief Whiteley. "It's really a big community effort, which is nice to see."
