On Saturday, June 5, the Dawson County Fire Department held an open house and “dunk a fire chief” event at Fire Station 2, giving community members an opportunity to see the fire station, have a free hotdog and snow cone, play some corn hole, and try their hands at dunking their favorite Dawson County fire chief. 

Several of Dawson County’s finest took turns in the dunk tank, starting off with Fire Chief and EMA Director Danny Thompson and rotating throughout the day before finishing with Dawson County District 2 Commissioner Chris Gaines. 

Balls to throw at the dunk tank were about $1 each and all the money raised went towards the county’s fire safety programs. According to Thompson, the event raised about $500. 

“We collected right at about $500,” Thompson said. “And I think overall the event was successful.” 

In addition to the dunk tank fundraiser, firefighters were on site to answer questions about grilling safety and upkeep of household smoke alarms. 

According to Thompson, the turnout was a little bit lower than hoped, but still had a good number of community members. 

“We would have obviously loved to see a little greater attendance and everything, but we realize that we probably caught people during the middle of vacation season cause as soon as school gets out people take off,” Thompson said. “But we were very happy to just really engage with our community and have an opportunity to see them on a social level and not necessarily a professional level.” 

Thompson said that community events like the open house are something the fire department hopes to continue in the future. 

“We would love to be able to do these type of events that engage the community and let the community see their first responders and the equipment that we have,” Thompson said. “Just laugh and share a meal with each other, where the community really feels like they’re a part of the organization and has a vested interest in what we do here in Dawson County.”