Fire Station Visit

It doesn't matter how strong or brave you are, if you don't like kids, I don't think the fire department is going to take you.  At least that's my theory since every fire fighter I have met has been really friendly and engaging with my kids.  A recent visit to Station 1 of the Saint Paul Fire Department affirmed my theory.  My friend Dawn and I showed up with eight children unannounced and got the grand tour of the station. 

Our junior firefighters

We learned that Station 1 has an antique fire truck in their dining room, that the firefighters still slide down a pole to get from the second floor to the first floor and that they guess that to get to our house a half a mile away, it'll take them four minutes from placing the 911 call to when they pull up in front of our house.  That's reassuring to know. 

Firefighter Robert showed the kids all the equipment on the fire engine.  If you bring a baby on the tour, Firefighter Ben will push the stroller for you!.

The firefighters showed the kids every vehicle in the garage and opened up all the hatches to show them all the equipment they carry to emergencies.  They invited the kids to get into a fire engine, but not surprisingly, that's pretty intimidating for kids their age, so no one took them up on their offer.  One of the firefighters put all his equipment on to show the kids what firefighters wear and even though some of them were on the verge of tears when he put his mask on, he did a great job reassuring them it was just him under the mask.  I hope they never need the help of a firefighter, but if they do, hopefully they recognize that they men and women donning all that gear are there to help. 

The kids keep a good distance from Firefighter Ben as he puts on all his protective gear.

Oliver is going to be like his mom - always with a question!

Thank you Saint Paul Fire Department!

There was one other fun fact that stood out from our visit to the fire station.  Our tour guides explained that when the alarm sounds, they have a minute and a half to get dressed, get into the fire truck and buckled in. I looked at Dawn and said we should institute that time goal.  Imagine if it only took a minute and a half for four kids to get their shoes and coats on, get into the minivan and buckled themselves into their car seats!  As it looks now, on that criteria alone, none of my children is destined to become a firefighter.