Fire Safety 2012
For the second year in a row, we found ourselves walking to the fire station in the rain! As I recall, last year's rain was a bit heavier, this year was just a slight mist, but chilly and wet non the less. Sometimes traditions are made without even trying!
Something about the lights in the fire station bays and the reflective strips on the vests, makes documenting this outing difficult. I have 25 blurry pictures.
A very special thank you to Fireman John who graciously and patiently took us around the station and took the time to put on all of his gear. John's motive in dressing in his gear was to show the children exactly what a fireman would look like if they ever had to come into their home and rescue them. The fireman don't want the children to be afraid and hide from them, so showing them exactly how all the gear goes on and how it works is an attempt to make the children feel more comfortable.
John talked to the children about the importance of knowing where the meeting spot is for their family and also knowing their address so that if they ever needed to call 911 they could tell them where the fire or emergency was at.
While talking to the children about calling 911, we realized that many of them do not know how to use a cell phone (my own child included). As with many things, "In the old days" children only had to pick up the land line and dial three numbers. Today, many cell phones require a series of button pushing to unlock the phone, and then dialing 911, followed by the send command. You might consider showing your child how to access 911 from your cell. Also remember to show them again the next time you change phones!