Future Firefighters!

October is fire prevention month and Brian and Sean have done a lot of playing fire fighter! If you know Brian at all - then you will know he has to dress the part from head to toe. Even in summer-like temperatures! He wears track pants, a shirt, a jacket, rain boots, a ski hat, a fire chief hat, goggles and gloves. Then in his pockets he has a flashlight, a walkie-talkie, and a cell phone. He sometimes also gets out tools and has a hammer tucked in his pants. He uses the hammer for an axe because I won't let him play with the real one in the garage. According to him, I am such a mean Mom!

They play out their parts so realistically and so seriously. Brian will come and tell me he has to go - he just got a call about a fire on his radio. Then he pretends to call Sean and they go to the firehouse. Brian usually drives the fire truck and Sean makes the siren noise. Sean's siren sounds like cats fighting - he will never be on American Idol! When they get to a fire, Sean is the hose man and Brian climbs the ladder into the burning building. Then they tell me, "Pretend we have more fire fighters too. Because real fire hoses need three people to work them, not one." I will have to remember that!

Sean picks up the hose and Brian climbs the ladder. He uses his "axe" to break windows. Sean even uses a pretend lever on top of the hose to turn it on and off like a real fire hose! When he is done with the hose, he climbs into the house to help Brian. Then they search for kids and pets. When playing inside, they rescue stuffed animals and Cabbage Patch Kids. But I am a mean Mom again because I won't let them play with those things outside! So, outside they rescue plastic dinosaurs and imaginary kids! They try to rescue Roc but he doesn't want to play firedog!

When they are finished, they come in the house and hang up their pants, and jackets, and hats, with their boots lined up neatly underneath! The getting dressed time needs some improvement - I think it takes about five minutes or so for them to get all the stuff on and zippered! They would be left at the firehouse!

Last week they were outside playing and I was sitting on the couch nursing Justin. They came crawling in the back door from the yard. Brian was yelling about something and Sean was screaming, "Call 911!" I thought it was part of their make-believe and asked, "Where is the fire today?" Brian says, "Next door. The smoke alarm is going off and we smell smoke!" I then asked, "For real or are you playing?" Brian said, "For real!" Like far-out man, gag me with a spoon! Sorry - a little flashback to the '80s!

So, I quickly put Justin on floor and walked out back. He was right - their smoke alarm was going off and I did smell smoke. I went around to the front of our house to walk next door. I got part way up their driveway and Mrs. R. came out to say that they were okay. They had just lit their wood burning stove for the first time and it was making a lot of smoke in the house. She thanked me for noticing the alarm and I told her it was all the boys!

I went back and told Brian and Sean that all was well. They still talk about how they saved the people next door from a fire. A little white lie will never hurt! But it was quick thinking on their part! I know they were paying attention in school on that day! I thought it was funny that they heard the fire alarm and immediately dropped and crawled from the back yard into the house! Way to go Brian and Sean Junior Firefighters! Oh, we did have a small talk about yelling "Fire" and "Call 911" from the back yard when their is not actually an emergency!

crawling up a ladder into a
"Burning Building"

Sean armed with the hose

(not turned on!)

Brian crawling around the "house" to look for kids Looking out of a window in the "house"Sean climbing the laddergear hung and ready for the next call