BULLHEAD CITY — The focus was squarely on public safety as the Bullhead City Fire Department’s Community Risk Reduction Division hosted its 34th annual Community Risk Reduction Safety Fair at the Anderson Fieldhouse. The event, held during Fire Prevention Week, brought together numerous agencies and organizations to provide hands‑on demonstrations, safety instruction, and resources for families across the region.
Division spokesperson Lori Viles said the long‑running fair continues to expand its mission.
“We are having our Community Risk Reduction Safety Fair. It is the 34th annual,” Viles said. “We come out once every year, during Fire Prevention Week, to help educate our community on many safety topics. We do hands‑on CPR, water safety, car seat safety, as well as presenting many community resources and topics.”
One of this year’s most emphasized subjects was lithium battery safety, a growing concern nationwide. Bullhead City Fire Marshal Barbie Barrett said the public often doesn’t realize how widespread lithium‑ion batteries have become.
“People just don’t realize how many things actually have those batteries,” Barrett said. “Only use chargers that come with your device. Only charge on hard surfaces. We’ve definitely seen more lithium‑ion battery fires. We’ve definitely seen it increase, and it’s an increase across the nation.”
Barrett said the fair’s collaborative nature is key to its success. “This is actually a great community event with collaboration with many organizations in our community,” she said. “It’s not just the fire department. It’s everyone in the community coming together to help get the word out and help our families and our community members be safer.”
Alongside dozens of informational booths, families explored fire trucks, rescue equipment, and interactive demonstrations led by department personnel. Viles highlighted a new educational feature drawing attention this year — the department’s Safety Trailer.
“We have our Safety Trailer that is relatively new to the department,” she said. “We get to take families through that. It is up to date. The kids really relate with it. It’s very interactive so that we can hit a lot of safety topics.”
What began decades ago as a simple Fire Prevention Week observance has grown into a broad, community‑wide effort to reduce risk and improve safety awareness. The annual event continues to evolve as new hazards and technologies emerge.
