Nicholas wants to be a fireman when he grows up. He's not in the least bit unsure of it and declares it with confidence and determination. His plan is to work at Edmond's Fire Station 3, which is just down the street from our house. He chose that station in particular because he can live at home with mommy and daddy and won't need to own a car because he can just walk to work each day. He's also very reassuring that I won't have to clean house anymore because he'll take care of it for me when he gets off work at said fire station. Oh, the sweet, heartwarming dreams of a 4 year old boy who wants nothing more than to live with his parents for the rest of his life. I'm hugging these moments close for as long as I can because I know they'll begin to fade fast. But Lord, what I wouldn't give to keep him this sweet and innocent forever. Who knows what life he'll choose to lead or what profession he ultimately ends up pursuing, but I'm encouraging this firefighter obsession while it's here. The Edmond Fire Department hosts a Children's Safety Challenge a few times a year, which allows kids from 4-7 years old a few days at the fire station learning all kinds of important fire safety tips and what it's like to be a real, live fireman. When they announced the dates for the latest class during spring break, I jumped on the opportunity to make my kid a very happy boy. He loved it. Loved it! He was so proud of everything he learned, and explained all the rules to us with such excitement and animation. For instance, you absolutely must wear your helmet when riding your bike, otherwise you'll hit your head and turn your brain into a melon. Or worse, your marbles or cream filling might fall out. Yikes! Also, it's wise to check how your smoke detector sounds so you don't confuse it going off with the sounds from your favorite video game. He remembered this very reasonable advice while in the shower that first night and had to poke his head out to tell me all about it. After 2 days in the classroom, the kids all "graduated" with official certificates. Then all the families were invited back the next morning to watch the children play the role of firefighter while they ran the obstacle course. The course was littered with various exercises which simulated fire hazards, like breaking down the door, crawling under smoke, putting out the fire with the fire hose, and dragging victims to safety. The whole course is set up in the children's safety village, which is a small scale "city" the fire department built for teaching kids real-life scenarios. Seriously, this village is totally cool. It has several city buildings, a park, streets complete with traffic signals and street lights. Their commitment to educating children is absolutely amazing and something I really wish had been around when I was a kid. Nicholas got to run the course with his friend, Silas, and the two of them were the cutest little firemen I've ever seen! There is no doubt in my mind that we'll be doing this again this summer.
Step 1: Put on your gear.
Step 2: Alarm goes off while sleeping in your bunk.
Step 3: Drive to the call, sirens wailing and lights blaring.
Step 4: Break down the door to check for victims inside.
Step 5: Crawl under the smoke while looking for victims.
Step 6: Once you locate the fire, use your fire hoses to put it out.
Step 7: And finally, drag the victims to safety.
It looks like Nicholas will be a great fireman! That children's safety village looks amazing.
ReplyDelete