Los Angeles County Fire Station 88 recently paid a visit to Malibu Jewish Center Preschool as part of the fire department’s community outreach program. The preschoolers, ranging in age from 2 to 5, were visibly thrilled to see the shiny red trucks carrying smiling firefighters. The young children rushed to greet their new guests and quickly began asking them questions.
“Can I hold the hose?” one child asked. “Did you just come from a fire?” another inquired. Clearly the most common question heard by the firefighters was “Can we ride in the fire truck?” Although the preschoolers did not have the opportunity to ride along with the firefighters, they readily climbed aboard the bright red vehicles and pretended to be the youngest members of Fire Station 88. Each child was treated to a first-hand look inside a real fire truck while sitting wide-eyed in the back seat. Once inside every child begged to hear the wail of the truck’s siren and the flashing of its emergency lights.
Some children tried on the heavy fire resistant jackets and pants that swallowed up their small figures while others donned tall boots and bright helmets.
The young students were taught about fire safety and were given an introduction to the everyday duties of local firefighters.
“Although our students are not yet of school age, we still stress education and there is no better way to stimulate young minds than a hands-on experience,” preschool director Lauren Abramowitz said. “We know that our firefighters perform very important duties in our community and we are so very grateful for the valuable time that they spent with us. I am sure that their visit here left a long-lasting impression upon our students and we look forward to seeing them again in the future.”