LIFE IS LOVELY: Elijah is a Fire Chief in the making

At the weekend Elijah got to experience being a fire chief as we headed to Marley Park Community Fire Station in Sunderland for its open day.
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Like many kids his age Elijah loves emergency service vehicles especially hearing the siren so when I saw the event advertised I knew we had to take him so he could see the fire engines up close.

He spent the full morning excited for his visit to the station even wearing his firefighter hat to get into the spirit.

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As we arrived at the station we watched in amazement as firefighters held a demonstration of how easily a chip pan can catch fire and showed the crowd what not to do if one occurs.

They also held a display showing how firefighters rescue a casualty when called to a burning building which was impressive to see just how quickly they react in a critical moment.

Elijah in the fire engineElijah in the fire engine
Elijah in the fire engine

Children were also able to have a go at being a firefighter themselves operating the hose, looking at the fire engine and climbing inside the vehicle. Elijah loved being in charge as he sat in the driving seat of the fire engine.

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Whilst he enjoyed the fire engines and displays what made the day even better for him was buying a bubble gun and having his face painted as Spider-Man. I don’t think there are many firefighter Spider-Man’s out there but Elijah will be there to save the day!

I think the open day was a great way to teach children about fire safety and see behind the scenes of a fire station and for some may spur a career in the fire and rescue service. 

Maybe one day Elijah will be a real firefighter and we’ll remind him about the time we took him to the fire station as a little boy. 

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