More than 30 years ago, the Escondido Fire Department organized and held annual fire station open houses coordinated by the Fire Department’s Public Education Specialist, Carol Rea. The initial goals of the open houses were to familiarize neighborhoods with local emergency services and educate the public about fire and life safety. But by the year 2000, devastating wildland fires - and the potential for even worse conflagrations - motivated the Fire Department and their fire protection district partner, the Rincon del Diablo Municipal Water District, to collaborate on an event in order to provide vital emergency response information to all residents located in the Greater Escondido Valley.

 

Rea and Rincon’s Public Information Officer, Julia Escamilla were tasked with the challenge of developing a new type of event that needed to be fun, free, and informative. It didn't take long to realize that the best way to educate the public - throughout the City of Escondido and the surrounding unincorporated areas - was something bigger than just an open house; it would be an Expo that would bring together numerous agencies to share information with as many people as could be attracted. The focus of the event was expanded to include water conservation, emergency preparedness, and quality of life issues.

 

The Escondido Fire and Water Expo grew exponentially over the years, from 150 curious neighbors to its current size of approximately 5,000+ attendees! The first Expos were located at the newly built Fire station #5 on Felicita Road but  moved to the current home inside the engine bay area of a newer and larger Fire Station #4 on Bear Valley Road, adjacent to Kit Carson Park. The Expo now extends nicely into the Kit Carson Park.

 

Although Rea officially retired in 2009, she continues to work exclusively on the annual Expo, but now under contract with the Rincon Municipal Water District.  As a result, the Escamilla/Rea team still works together on the event along with the Fire Department’s Fire Investigator, Andrew Modglin. At the end of this year, Julia will officially retire from Rincon Water and Rea will move on to other adventures, bringing their involvement to an end. With Modglin taking the reins, the next chapter can be expected to continue its legacy of education and service. The Expo is an inspiring story of service commitment to the people and growth!

 

Escamilla and Rea consider this to have been an incredible journey! From a small fire station open house to a massive community event attracting thousands over a 27-year span — it’s a testament to how dedicated people can work together to transform an idea into something lasting and impactful. The expansion of the event to focus on emergency preparedness, water conservation, and overall quality of life is clearly a smart evolution, especially given the challenges Escondido and surrounding areas have faced with wildfires.