The Aiken Department of Public Safety is opening its doors to the public Saturday for an open house. The event will be 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the department headquarters, 251 Laurens St. N.W.
The open house will include activities such as a car seat clinic led by the child passenger seat technicians and a chance to meet public safety officers, firefighters and the K-9 units.
"Its an opportunity for us to meet and interact with our residents and our community members and to demonstrate our equipment," said Aiken Department of Public Safety Lt. Jake Mahoney. He also said the event is a chance for the public to see its tax dollars being used.
"This is also a chance to have one-on-one discussions with our residents and to answer any question they may have," Mahoney said. "It is an opportunity to build some bonds and interact with folks that we may have not heard from before."
Mahoney said this event is an extent of the department's citizens academy that was started three years ago.
"This is an extent of that philosophy to interact with our community," he said.
"We will also have our newly acquired and refurbished 'rehab' unit on display," according to a press release. The unit provides equipment and supplies and an environment that firefighters can use for rest and recovery at the scene of a fire.
"The rehab unit is a brand new piece of apparatus for us," said Mahoney, adding that it came to the department at no charge via a defense logistics agency. The refurbishments were done by public safety staff.
"The rehab unit gives the firefighters a chance to be evaluated in all types of weather," Mahoney said.
The event also is a chance for the public to help stock the new rehab unit with a donation of paper goods and nonperishables such as coffee cups, bottled water, napkins, paper plates and trash bags.
Donations are not required.
The department is working with community groups Aiken Council of Neighborhoods and the Aiken Safe Communities Action Team at this event. Representatives from those groups will be available to talk with the public about being involved in the organizations and to answer general questions.
For more information, call Mahoney at 803-644-1898.
Will Whaley is the crime and court reporter for the Aiken Standard.