October 23 – “That’s my Dad. He’s a fire fighter”

I got another chance to see the awesome Trish the Teacher in action yesterday.  She led some more fire department tours for elementary school classes.  And was she ever a busy woman.  She did one for Holy Family on the East End, and raced from there to station four at the airport to lead one for Oppe Elementary.  That’s where I caught up with her. 

She was assisted by quite a few of our awesome fire fighters.  The crew from station four was there, of course, and the crew from station seven came as well.  It was a good thing, too.  There were over fifty kids there, so having several trucks made it so much easier to show the kiddos everything.  They were divided into three different groups, with a fire fighter or two assigned to each one. 

The group I followed, coincidentally enough, was the one with Cailyn in it.  And strangely, her Dad and her grandmother were there as well, along with a good group of parents.  Driver Bryan led our tour.  He started with who sits where in the truck when they go on a call.  Mr. Bryan showed the Captain’s seat (the guy with his white hat who tells the fire fighters what to do), the fire fighters’ seats, and of course where he sits, the driver’s seat.  He’s the one who has to stay and operate the truck, so he doesn’t get to run into the fire.

Next came a look at all the tools on the truck and how they are used.  Everything from the famous jaws of life to the long pick.  The kids had seen a picture of that one in a book they read.  After a quick walk through the fire fighters’ seat in the truck, and a jump into another fire fighter’s arms, one of the tour highlights arrived.  They each got to turn on a real live fire hose and squirt it at a cone.

The tour of the inside of the fire house showed about nine individual bedrooms for the fire fighters, because they have to be there all day and all night.  I heard one comment about them being like a small hotel room.  The station even had a fully stocked kitchen and dining table and that most important of accessories to the kids … a TV.

After a quick walk around the deck (Mr. Bryan explained that it was there so they can see all the airplanes and know where to go if one has a problem), the second real highlight of the trip happened.  They each got to slide down the big slide used to get from the top floor to the trucks.  Other than some dizzy children, they all loved it.

Right in the middle of the tour one of the trucks had an emergency call, so the kids got an unexpected treat – the chance to see the fire fighters load up and drive away with the siren blaring and lights flashing.  Next came some class photos by the ladder truck and each one got to try on a bunker coat to see how heavy it was.  Then they got to see a fire fighter get into all of his bunker gear, while Mrs. Trish explained what each piece was for.  And when he was fully dressed, Mrs. Trish was careful to point out that he was still the same guy, Fire fighter Tim.  He just looked different in his outfit and big backpack that gave him air to breathe.  Not oxygen, just regular old breathing air.  I think they got the point that we don’t have to be afraid of a fire fighter when he’s dressed like that.  He’s there to help us.  Mrs. Trish gave them another treat.  They could each touch him – give him a high five - to see what the suit felt like.  One of the cute little girls even asked if she could hug him. Way to go Fire Fighter Tim.  Do we need to warn your fiancée?  As he helped Mr. Tim out of the suit, Mr. Kenny explained the no-motion-sensor alarm.  It was really loud.

Finally Mrs. Trish finished up the day with her fire safety lecture.  Don’t be afraid of the fireman if you are in a burning house.  If you do see him, call out so he will know where you are.  Remind your parents to check their smoke alarms once a month, and change the batteries whenever there is a time change.  Oh, by the way, time change is this Sunday. 

I can’t say enough about Mrs. Trish and all the fire fighters who made this a really special day for a lot of children.  Even the guys who came in on their day off to sneak in a little extra family time with their own kids in the class.  It sure made those little guys proud to be able to say, “That’s my Dad.  He’s a fire fighter.”

Ephesians 6:4 – “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”

Father, thank you for the strength of each fire fighter in our crews.  But thank you as well for the gentle spirits they show around children.  They both speak safety to tender young hearts.  Amen.