The old yellow school bus was ready for the rescue, the crowd gathered in anticipation at Village Hall for the live extraction demonstration. There remained one problem — the Sloatsburg Volunteer Fire Department’s old Jaws-Of-Life was having problems biting down on the metal meal.

This Saturday’s Second Annual Fire Safety Day will be much different. The SFD has brand new vehicle extraction equipment to replace the recently retired Jaws-Of-Life, which was bought some 37 years ago by then Chief Andrew Gulick — and was one of the first of its kind in Rockland County.

Fire Safety Day takes place Saturday, October 12, from 10 a.m. through 4 p.m. at the Sloatsburg Fire Department at the village Municipal Building and parking lot. Throughout the day the SFD will host some very cool activities, including car rescue demonstrations that will feature the department’s new TNT Rescue Tool equipment, as well as fire truck displays, goodie bags and hot dogs.

An obstacle course for children complete with fire hose is planned as well as a live fire demonstration, where the SFD will have a trailer set up just like a real home so that kids can experience moving through rooms thick with smoke. The fake smoke is a safe sugar-based smoke that will give participants the opportunity to learn how to find their way through a fire.

The car extraction demonstration will give the SFD the opportunity to live test the village’s new extraction equipment by spreading and bending the frames and bodies of two cars donated for the occasion.

Fire Safety Day follows the department’s recent visit to Sloatsburg Elementary School kids, where firefighters visited each classroom dressed head-to-toe in gear and discussed fire safety. The kids also participated in stop/drop/and roll exercises.

A free event, Sloatsburg residents are invited to Fire Safety Day Saturday, October 12, at the Sloatsburg Fire Department. The event is all-day, from 10 a.m. through 4 p.m., so drop in, have a hot dog and meet your local volunteer firefighters.