There will be an opportunity to learn more about fire fighting past and present at an open day in Watford this weekend.

Watford Fire Station and the adjacent Herts Fire Brigade Museum, in Lower High Street, will both be opening their doors to visitors from midday to 3pm on Saturday.

There will be plenty of attractions for visitors to enjoy, including seeing the service’s aerial ladder, the specialist Rescue Support Unit, an ambulance as well as fundraising stalls for the fire fighters’ charity and Watford Community Safety.

Watford Fire Station and the neighbouring fire museum will both be opening their doors to the public on SaturdayWatford Fire Station and the neighbouring fire museum will both be opening their doors to the public on Saturday (Image: Roger Middleton)

Smoke house tours – safely escorted – will be taking place, along with chip pan demonstrations, while there will also be some hosereel fun for the children.

Visitors can learn about the history of fire-fighting at Hertfordshire’s only fire-related museum.

Their attractions include an 1896 horse-drawn steam fire pump, a 1937 Leyland pump-escape fire engine that served at St Albans, and a 1942 Dennis trailer pump used during the Second World War.

There will also be the opportunity to try on uniforms and handle early breathing apparatus sets, while the museum also has a large photographic collection featuring Watford Fire Brigade, fires and fire engines, and the Buncefield explosion and fire of 2005.