Residents of Bridgeway Apartments and Brandi’s Hope were invited to tour central fire station of the Picayune Fire Department Thursday.

Bryan Cassagne, job trainer with Bridgeway Apartments, said the residents enjoy learning how the station operates and interacting with the firemen.

The tour is coordinated occasionally with Picayune Fire Chief Keith Brown, giving every resident an opportunity to visit the station, he said.

During the visit, residents were allowed to get inside the fire truck and see how it operates, spray water from the fire hose and tour the facility.

The firemen have a very friendly relationship with the residents, Cassagne said. Every Friday night the firemen play buddy ball at Friendship Park with the residents.

Most of the residents at times just call the fire department to talk to a fireman, said Battalion Chief Ronnie Reynolds.

“They want to be involved with us and we love it,” Reynolds said. “Sometimes we take time to visit their facility and spend some time with them.”

Cassagne said the residents were excited about Thursday’s visit, since they haven’t been to the station in two years.

The visitors toured the facility in small groups to provide a more individualized experience, he said.

Brandi Hope’s resident Brent Bordelon said he enjoyed looking at the fire truck and particularly enjoyed spraying water from the fire hose.