Pinellas Park Fire Department - ''Kids Invade Pinellas Park Fire''

Written by: Suzanne Boisvert, Public Education Specialist

Parents across the country took their kids out of school on April 27 and put them to work for the annual "Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day". The event encourages parents to take their kids to work to show them what their jobs are like. Several parents (and grandparents) with Pinellas Park Fire Department brought their kids to Station 33 for a day of "intense firefighter training". Twenty kids ranging in age from 7 to 14 were placed in five separate companies; truck, engine, rescue, squad, and pumper. The day began with teams competing in a "medic box race" to be the first to find all the medical equipment in each box. The companies then took turns rotating through several drills that gave them a real life view of what their parents do each day. Under extremely close supervision, the kids donned bunker gear and used actual fire and rescue equipment in each scenario. They practiced fire suppression, search and rescue, rapid intervention, auto extrication, and some emergency medical procedures. Probably the most fun they had was using a life-net to catch "victims" (stuffed animals) as they "fell" (okay, they were thrown) from the roof of Station 33. After drills, all the companies cleaned the station and washed the apparatus. Finally, it was time for lunch. The kids were served hamburgers and hotdogs followed by Klondike bars for dessert. After lunch everybody relaxed and watched a slide show presentation of the day's activities.

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