Versailles Fire Rescue helps community beat the heat

The water from Ladder 69 was the perfect attraction to beat the heat on Friday, July 3 for many families in the area.

On Friday, July 3, Versailles Fire Rescue offered the kids in the community a way to beat the heat. After a last-minute plan was pulled together, the group posted on social media that the Versailles Firefighters were bringing ladder 69 to the square at 3 p.m. for the kids to play in the water.

The government offices were closed for the July 4 holiday which meant the courthouse square was mostly free of parked vehicles besides the families that were already utilizing the splash pad in the extreme temps, of course!

Ripley County was under an extreme heat advisory for several consecutive days of the week. An extreme heat advisory isn’t something that is heard of too often and with the Versailles State Park pool at capacity, this offered others a way to cool off during the holiday weekend.

Ladder 69 was parked close to the northeast corner of the square with the northside of the square being blocked off from traffic. According to Tony Franklin of Versailles Fire Rescue, the group is hoping in the future they can park the ladder closer to the splash pad if they are able to provide the community a way to beat the heat again.