Fire safety to be discussed at expo at Fairview Park

It’s the kind of event that organizers say kids of all ages — “from 2 to 80” — can get excited about.

The folks behind the second annual California Fire Museum Safety Expo are coming back to Costa Mesa on Sunday, bringing with them 20 fire engines dating from 1902 to 2013.

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., a portion of Fairview Park will be hosting the trucks, free rides on them and a “bucket brigade” for children. The brigade will show everyone what firefighting was like in the old days, said Darrell Gilbert, the museum’s treasurer. The Dana Point resident is a former firefighter for Lynwood and owns Mesa Golf Carts, a Costa Mesa business.

“Admission is free. Parking is free,” Gilbert added. “You can’t get better than that.”

Safety will also be a hot topic, whether it be about fires, pools, bees or “stop, drop and roll,” Gilbert said.

The motto to learn this year? “Don’t hide — get outside” in cases of house fires.

“It’s a fun event for the whole family,” Gilbert said. “Last year, we had about 3,000 people.”

Explorers from the Costa Mesa Fire Department will also be on hand to sell hot dogs, hamburgers and sodas.

The museum, which has about 200 members on its roster, is planned to be part of the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, but until then, the engines are stored in Rancho Santa Margarita.

Gilbert said it’s remarkable “how well the old engines were engineered, how well they’ve held up.”

“It’s nice to explain the history of fire apparatuses to them,” he added, “to actually show them what we’re talking about.”

*

If You Go

What: California Fire Museum Safety Expo

Where: Near the Goat Hill railroad in Fairview Park, 2501 Placentia Ave., Costa Mesa

When: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday

How much: Admission and parking are free