While Tot is crazy about all things with wheels, he’s especially into fire trucks. I think it’s the bright red color and flashing lights. Anyway, I decided to set up a tour for our playgroup at the local fire station. My small town fire department handled everything wonderfully from the customer service to the actual tour.

I started at the fire department’s website. There wasn’t information about field trips, but there was an email form. I filled it out and asked if they performed tours for children ages one to four. I also included my phone number. The next day I received a call from a pleasant woman who set everything up for us. Not only was she efficient, but seemed genuinely invested in our children coming to the station.

The day of the tour, all of the firemen on shift showed us around. I had expected some sort of community liaison to be our guide, but was happily surprised that we could talk with the men who do the hard work. Despite being tough guys, they understood how to tailor the tour to these little ones. First thing, they gave each child a bright red fireman hat. The children proudly wore them the rest of the outing. We did visit all areas of the fire station, but they escorted us quickly and didn’t give a lot of long explanations. They knew what our kids really wanted–Fire Trucks!!!

Not only did the kids see the emergency vehicles, but the firemen allowed them to climb inside the cab. They even patiently lifted each child into the driver’s seat and allowed them to “steer.” They didn’t rush the kids. Each one was allowed to stay in the truck as long as he wanted. One fire fighter, who it turned out was also a homeschooler, even let Tot turn on the lights and siren.

In all, it was a successful field trip. If you’re looking for an outing that will engage your preschooler, I recommend checking out your local fire station.

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