COLUSA, CA (MPG) – A chance to climb into a fire engine became a morning of discovery for children and their dad as firefighters showed them what it takes to answer an emergency call.
First 5 Colusa sponsored a DADerday fire station visit Saturday, Nov. 7, inviting dads, father figures and others who make a difference in a child’s life to spend a morning exploring together.
For David Velasquez, who brought three children, the visit offered a chance to share an experience that was educational for adults, too.
“It’s pretty cool,” Velasquez said. “I mean, I had fun and the kids enjoyed it.”
Fire engineer and emergency medical technician Bo Salazar and firefighter Sofia Martinez guided visitors through the station, explaining daily life in the sleeping quarters and the challenges of battling house fires and wildfires. The station is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Salazar said.
“This is a firehouse,” said Salazar, about to come off a 72-hour shift. “And when I say it’s a house, it is because it is our house. We live here.”
Salazar said smaller tours give visitors more opportunities to ask questions and see how the firehouse operates. Children got a close look at the station, exercise room, kitchen, engines and a chance to feel the weight of the equipment firefighters carry while also handling tools and hoses.
Martinez demonstrated how protective clothing, gloves, a hood, helmet and breathing apparatus work together. As each piece went on, Salazar reminded the children that beneath the unfamiliar equipment was the same person they had just met. The demonstration also showed how an alarm can help rescuers locate a firefighter who has stopped moving and may need assistance.
Safety lessons extended to the visitors’ own homes. Firefighters demonstrated smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, discussed planning an escape route, demonstrated survival techniques, and encouraged families to choose a meeting place outside.
Salazar said knowing where everyone will gather helps firefighters determine whether someone might still be inside. Without that plan, family members who escape through different exits may not know whether their loved ones are safe.
Children were also reminded not to hide under beds or inside closets during a fire, where rescuers could have difficulty finding them.
The tour offered a glimpse of the preparation behind those rescues. Visitors saw a training structure used to practice removing people through windows and a course where firefighters learn to navigate tight spaces and tangled wires without being able to see.
Inside the station, even keeping bedrooms tidy had a purpose. Salazar said firefighters must be able to get up, gather their equipment and respond quickly when a call arrives in the middle of the night.
“We have to be ready for anything and everything at all times,” Salazar said.
The morning ended with fire helmets, pencils and stickers, along with maps families could use to draw escape routes and plan a fire drill at home.
First 5 plans another event for dads in the spring, Executive Director Ginger Harlow said. The Nov. 7 fire station tours were held throughout the county.