Fire! Fire!

We got to chat with the Fire Brigade and clamber all over a real fire engine. Oh how thrilling life can be at times. An engine and it’s crew visited a local shopping centre to raise fire safety awareness just like the police did the other day.

Actually it was really interesting observing the outpouring of love that all the kids had for the Fire Men as apposed to the reverent silence that they held the police officers in. The police were approached by all the kids on the day quietly and asked solemn questions. However on the day the fire truck turned up kids were exploding out of their cars, their frazzled mothers desperately calling after them to the mind the cars as the pelted across the car park glowing eyes and gleaming faces announcing “My heroes are here.”

I think the difference may be that even though we like to think of these little ones as innocent, they know full well that they sin too. Yes we teach them that police are there to keep them safe and protect the community from harm but deep in their minds, just like in the minds of us all, they know that these are the guys that search for the wrong in the world.

One of Glenn’s favourite authors David Eddings puts it this way

No man is so entirely guiltless in his own soul that the sudden appearance of a few thousand police does not give him a qualm or two.

Or it may have just been that we know how to show off to the Fire guys. Eli didn’t stop talking the whole time we were there. He waltzed straight up to the first guy he saw and announced that he had learnt all about fire safety. Much to my relief he was thoroughly impressed by their knowledge. He quizzed them on everything he could think of off the top of his head and the only thing he had to remind them about was covering their faces when doing Stop Drop and Roll to get the fire off your clothes. I kept apologising to the poor guy because they wouldn’t stop jabbering on about every thing that they knew, but he didn’t seem to mind and even listened patiently to an impromptu performance of Beep Beep Smoke Alarm that they learnt from Brigade Kids.

Eli insisted that Sabrina would be upset if she didn’t have a turn in the truck. He was probably right she was very proud of herself up there with her big brother.