This month, the Waterlooville Hive was invited to visit a working fire station. We thought this was a great opportunity, so organised a visit during the October half term holiday.
The day began with firefighter Mitch introducing himself to us, he went on to give a fire safety awareness talk. Firefighter Mitch invited us to ask him questions and there were several great questions from adults and children, but one that comes to mind was both challenging and thought provoking.
A child asked firefighter Mitch, “What happens when there is more than one fire in the same house?”
This interesting question led to a discussion around arson and the way in which firefighters and those living in the house are put at additional risk when there is more than one fire in a home. The firefighter spoke about some of the techniques that they use in these situations and reassured the young person that they had strategies for keeping people safe in those incidents.
Following the safety talk, we had a tour of the station which broke the myth around firefighters sliding down a pole when they get a call out! Poles are no longer used. We had the chance to try on firefighter’s equipment and firefighter Mitch explained how things worked and what kind of situation they would be used in.
We were shown the machines that are used to cut people out of cars in the event of a car crash. We were also shown the pumps and hoses that are used to fight fires and the equipment firefighters use to go into buildings that are burning. We saw how a firefighter’s breathing apparatus works and found out how much time it gives them to rescue people (up to 30 minutes!) Finally, we took a tour around a fire engine and even went inside.
Firefighter Mitch spoke about the importance of teamwork when fighting fires as people lives depend upon good communication and people working well together. We were shown the gym and firefighter Mitch talked about the importance of keeping fit so he could carry the equipment and use less of the oxygen in his tank, giving him the longest time possible to rescue people when using breathing apparatus. It was surprising how much equipment firefighters need to use and how heavy it was. The children really enjoyed dressing up in the firefighter’s equipment and pretending to drive the fire engine. Some great photographs were taken for their memory boxes and to remind them of the day they went to a fire station with their carers, parents, or grandparents.
After lunch, it was time for us to test our fire fighting skills. Firefighter Mitch set up some targets in the car park and brought out a fire engine with a hose attached. He invited us to try and knock over the targets using the water that shoots out of the hose. The hose had a handle on it which, when pulled up, released a high-pressure jet of water that needed to be controlled and aimed at the targets. Some of the adults gave it a go and showed great skill. However, it was the children that stole the show hitting the target and sending them flying across the car park!
It seems like we have some natural firefighters in our Hive and two of the children said that they wanted to be firefighters when they grow up.
This was a great activity because it mixed the informative with fun. The adults and children alike seemed to enjoy themselves and learnt something from the fire safety talk. The children showed confidence when asking questions and didn’t show any fear of firefighter Mitch. We’re sure that this will stay with them and could help to keep them safe now and in the future.
We’d like to say a big thank you to Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service and a special thank you to firefighter Mitch for inviting us to the Waterlooville Fire Station and facilitating the event for our Hive. Learn more about the Hampshire Hive.