October 15, 2003

Open house one hot event

Kids tackle obstacle course, hose lines at TC Fire Department event

By Carol South
Herald contributing writer

Traverse City Fire Station Number 1 was jammed throughout its Open House Saturday, drawing hundreds of children and families for a peek into the life of a firefighter.
Station tours, an obstacle course, the chance to check out the equipment and trucks plus rides on the department's antique fire truck kept the Front Street facility humming all afternoon. With long lines offering a lesson in patience for young and old, the event tapped into a fascination with all things firefighter.

Herald photo by Carol South
Throughout Saturday's open house at Traverse City Fire Station No. 1, the department's popular antique fire truck roared through the streets around the station. Each time, the truck was packed with riders who had patiently waited in a long line for their turn.

"We come every year, they just love the whole experience," said Sheila Hinkle, who attended the Open House with son, Robert, 9, and daughter, Mikayla, 4. "They love getting in the fire truck and spraying the fire hose."
Peggy Weber fielded a full day of 'Can we go NOW?' requests from her eager son, Keith, 6, ever since he learned of the Open House on Friday. As she waited for her son to complete the obstacle course - kicking open a door, putting out a pretend fire, dragging a hose, climbing through a window, ducking through a tunnel and receiving a plastic fire hat - she recalled his excitement at meeting his heroes and seeing the equipment.
"He's been bugging to go since 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon and it's the first thing he asked this morning," said Weber, attending the Open House for the first time. "He wants to be a fireman."
Throughout the afternoon, children could try on hazardous materials suit, spray a fire hose, pose for a commemorative photo in a fire truck's cab and view the station house's sleeping, eating, workout and recreational facilities. Firefighters also served attendees a lunch of hot dogs, potato chips and juice or coffee, handing out more than 950 hot dogs.
"This is where the community comes out and sees what we do," said Captain Tim Gies of the Traverse City Fire Department. "When we open the doors and say, 'Welcome to our house.'"
"This is our lives, one third of it, we work ten 24-hour shifts a month, averaging 56 hours a week," he noted.
The Open House concluded the department's host of Fire Prevention Week activities. Throughout the week, members of the Traverse City Fire Department visited elementary schools located within city limits to discuss fire prevention and safety. Firefighters visited kindergarten students to help them get familiar with firefighters and their equipment.
"We walk in our duty uniforms and slowly, piece by piece, explain and put on all our fire fighting gear," Gies said. "This helps them get past their fear."
They also visited first, second and third grade students and prompted students to draw home escape plans. The plans from each school were mounted throughout the fire station during the Open House; they will be returned to the students this week.
"We show them how to draw them, step by step, and then the plan is homework for the whole family," Gies said. "In the springtime we hit fourth through sixth graders with a program called Plan to Get Out Alive."
The Fire Station Open House continued the educational theme. Educational coloring pages and a video reinforced the message of fire prevention and safety. A display of lighters that look like toys, sometimes attracting children to play with them, helped alert both children and their parents to these hidden dangers.
"We love our job but one thing we hate is looking for someone in a fire," Gies said. "Even worse, is finding someone."