The sounds of fire engines, sirens and gleeful children filled the air at Fire Safety Day on Sunday at the Phi Delta Theta fraternity house.

The East Lansing Fire Department teamed up with the Phi Delta Thetas and the Kappa Delta sorority to put on the event for the community.

Bob Pratt, East Lansing fireman and co-coordinator of the event, said the day went fabulously.

“It was a great day and we had a great turnout, not only from the community but the Phi Delta Thetas and the Kappa Deltas as well,” Pratt said.

“There have been a lot of activities, the kids got to tour the fire truck and the ambulance and they all got a chance to spray a little water out of the fire hose.”

Along with numerous activities for children, the firemen got a chance to pass along some key fire-safety knowledge, he said.

“A working smoke detector doubles your chances of surviving a fire,” Pratt said. “Eighty-five percent of fire fatalities occur in residences, most of them at night and every three minutes another child in the U.S. dies by fire.”

Human resource management junior Lauren Francisco, who coordinated the event for the Kappa Deltas, agreed the turnout was magnificent.

“What a beautiful day. I think everyone had a good time, parents and children alike,” Francisco said.

“I think the kids were really into it and it was good to see them get excited about something educational.

“I think everyone involved learned a lot about fire safety today,” she said.

Free hot dogs and refreshments were available to the more than 300 community members who came to support the event.

East Lansing resident Jim Coulter attended the event with his son, Jim, who couldn’t seem to contain his smile.

“We are very impressed with how this event was put together,” Coulter said. “It’s a great service for the greeks to put on for the community.”

Supply chain management senior Jason Canfield, Phi Delta Theta philanthropy chair and co-coordinator of the event, got a chance to fulfill a lifelong dream and sound the fire siren to bring the event to a dramatic finish.

“(The event) went absolutely brilliantly,” Canfield said. “It went so well that this will definitely become an annual thing.”

Canfield said the event will be even bigger and better next year with more activities for the children.

“We couldn’t have asked for anything more,” he said.

“All of our efforts paid off, it was a great day.”