Little boy pretend as a fire fighter
From their loud and colorful sirens to their giant ladders, it’s no wonder why children are fascinated with fire trucks. Check out just a few of the ways you and your kids can celebrate them and all firefighters do.
Learn about the history of fire trucks
Visit the Aurora Regional Fire Museum to view their collection of thousands of artifacts, photographs and volumes of historical information about fire trucks. On the fourth Saturday of each month, check out the Fire Museum of Greater Chicago for a close-up look of vintage fire equipment. From antique helmets to fire apparatuses from the 1850s, you’re sure to learn more about how the trucks evolved into the massive vehicles they are today.
Take a tour
Call up your local fire department and ask if you can get a tour of their station. The Engine 18 Chicago Fire station downtown gives them in the morning or afternoon if they’re not on a call. Visit their Facebook page to schedule a tour in advance.
Put your fire safety knowledge to the test
Does your child know what to do in the case of a real fire emergency? Visit the Survive Alive House Foundation facility downtown for your kids to learn fire safety in a classroom setting taught by real firefighters. Afterwards, they will experience a simulation of a fire in the home using special effects like artificial smoke and heat-panels in bedroom doors to see if they could handle a life-like emergency. Schedule a tour today for the whole family.
Show your support
There’s no better way to show your appreciation for firefighters than to join a cause. Donate to an organization, such as Friends of Firefighters or the Firefighters Support Foundation, or attend or donate to support to the firefighters participating in the Fire Up a Cure Chicago fundraiser, which raises money for children with cancer. You might just find a fire truck there too!
Rent your own fire truck or fire truck tour
What better way to have fun with fire trucks than to rent your own? Take an O’Leary’s Chicago Fire Truck Tour on the back of a real fire truck, or just rent one for a birthday party or event with Chicago Fire Truck Rentals. Kids will feel like real firefighters with packages that allow them to compete in a firefighter challenge course and fire hose relay. It will definitely be a day they will never forget!
This article was originally published on July 27, 2016. It has been updated with the most recent information.
