My Trip To The
Fire Station
Was created especially for
Michael Jeremy Smith
at the
age of 8
With love from
Mom and Dad
November 9, 2004
Page 4
Mike Smith was so excited, he could hardly wait to see
the firefighters and fire engines. Mike and his class from
“Now class,” said Miss
Harold, “I know you’re excited, but remember to pay close
attention. Fire prevention and fire
safety are very important. If you are ever
in a fire, they could help save your life.”
Page 7
Mike
couldn’t believe his eyes. Firefighter Brad and Chief Maddox
came to greet the children at the door!
“Welcome to the Atlanta
Fire Station, boys and girls,” said Firefighter Brad.
“We have a lot of exciting
things to show you and I’m going to teach you some ways to stay safe when it
comes to fire.”
Page 8
Firefighter Brad
brought the class to see the many different fire trucks. “Wow, this is great!” said Mike as he gazed at all the different fire
engines. There were old ones, new ones,
red ones, and yellow ones. There was
even a fire truck from the 1920’s that was part of their museum.
“
Page 11
Mike
carefully watched as Firefighter Brad showed the
class the inside of a real fire engine.
“Mike, would you and Wayne like to be first to sit inside?”
With big smiles, they jumped inside the
cab and pretended they were real firefighters, steering the big engine down the
street.
Page 12
Next, everyone followed Firefighter Brad to the room with the coats, hats, boots and
special pants just for firefighters.
“Mike,
would you be my helper and try on my coat and hat?” asked Firefighter Brad. Mike couldn’t believe his luck. “Yes, sir!”
Page 13
As Firefighter Brad
helped Mike put on the coat and hat, he said to
the class, “Our clothes are made of special material that won’t burn, but
unfortunately, you clothes will.”
“You should NEVER run if your clothes
catch on fire. Instead, STOP where you
are, DROP to the ground, cover your face, and ROLL
around until the fire goes out.”
“Does anyone remember what we call
this?” The class was so sure of the
answer that everyone said at the same time, “STOP, DROP and ROLL!”
Page 16
After that, Firefighter Brad pulled out a box of matches and a lighter, and
said, “Boys and girls, you should NEVER play with matches or fire, EVER! You could start a fire by accident.”
“Who knows what you should do if you find
matches or lighters?” Mike spoke up and asked, “Should we give them to our
parents?”
“That’s right Mike,
you should give them to an adult right away and say, “Firefighter Brad said to keep these away from children!”
Page 19
Then Firefighter Brad
said, “Some objects such as clothing and paper catch fire very easily. So don’t play near gas or electric heaters,
stoves or fire places.”
“What is this?” Mike asked.
Firefighter Brad
answered, “This is a smoke detector. If
a fire starts while you are asleep, the smoke detector will sound an alarm and
wake you up so that you can get out safely and call 911. Everyone should have a smoke detector in the
family room and each bedroom.”
Page 20
The class followed Firefighter Brad upstairs to the sleeping area. “This is where we sleep when we’re on
duty. Do you know what this pole is for,
Mike?”
Mike
smiled and said, “Yes, sir! If the fire
alarm goes off during the night, you can slide down to the room with the
coats!”
“That’s right, Mike. It also gives us another way out of the
room. You should know at least two ways
out of every room in case fire is blocking the door. If a door is hot, leave through a window or
another door.”
Page 23
Mike
raised his hand and said, “I would like to know what to do if I see a lot of
smoke, but no fire?”
Firefighter Brad
said, “Fire and smoke spread very fast and smoke is a dangerous part of fire
and breathing smoke makes people sick.”
“You should NEVER hide, always crawl low
under the smoke and get out quickly. The
air is not as smoky near the floor. We
teach everyone to ‘Get Out, and Stay Out!’, NEVER go
back inside a burning house or building.”
Page 24
Mike’s
best friend, Wayne asked, “What if you live in
an apartment building?”
Firefighter Brad
said, “You ask very good questions,
“Two-story building should have signs that
say ‘Exit’ or ‘Stairs.’ Hear I have a
special rope ladder with hooks that fasten onto your window so that you can
climb out if your building is on fire.”
“Mike, your
parents can get you one to keep under your bed in case of emergencies.”
Page 27
Next, the class followed Firefighter Brad to the kitchen.
“Wow!
You guys like to cook?” asked Mike.
“We sure do! We practice fire safety, too!”
“Kitchens have hot stoves that can hurt
you. Never play with the knobs on the
stove. Remember to use cooking mitts so
you won’t burn your hands.”
“Do you see this? This is a fire extinguisher. If someone accidentally starts a fire while
cooking, we can put it out right away.”
Page 28
Firefighter Brad
brought the class to the dispatch room.
“How many of you know how to call 911?”
Mike and Wayne raised their hands at the same time. They smiled at each other and said, “9-1-1!”
Firefighter Brad
laughed and agreed, “Yes, that’s right.
You dial ‘911.’ When someone has
an emergency or a fire, you dial ‘911’ and the call rings the dispatcher. The dispatcher then calls the fire
department, the police station or an ambulance.”
Page 31
Firefighter Brad
then asked the class a question. “Who
knows what a Fire Escape Plan is?” Mike raised his hand and said, “Is it like a fire
drill?”
Yes, Mike,
it is. You and your family should plan
an escape route from your home. Remember
to find two ways to leave each room and choose a place for your family to meet
outside.”
“Practicing your escape route will help
you know where to go during a fire. But
remember, you must NEVER go back into a burning house!”
Page 32
Firefighter Brad
then asked the class, “Does everyone know their telephone number and street
address?”
Mike and Wayne
raised their hands right away.
Firefighter Brad then said, “Ask your
parents to help you learn your telephone number and your street address if you
don’t know them. This is very important
to know in case you ever need to call 911.”
Telephone Number _ _ _-_ _
_-_ _ _ _
Street Address
Page 35
Finally, it was time to go home. Chief Maddox
handed each boy and girl a book and said, “I want you to read this special book
to your whole family. It will help teach
them the important fire prevention and fire safety facts that you learned
today. Then I want you to ask your
parents to help plan a fire escape route.
Can you do that?”
“Yes, sir!,”
chime Mike and Wayne. They each thanked Chief Maddox and Firefighter Brad
for the book and for letting them visit the fire station.
Everyone waved good-bye.
Page 36
Important Things to Remember
In an emergency call:
911
Fire Department
_________________________
Police Department
__________________________
Relative’s Phone
_________________________
Who do I call in case
of emergency?
_________________________________