I’m sure that Beth of I Should Be Folding Laundry didn’t realize when she made “red” the theme for the You Capture challenge this week that it was, in fact, Fire Prevention Week. But it is! And, being the fire family that we are, what’s the first thing I think of when someone says red? Fire trucks! Of course!

We visited FireDad at the station during one of his shift days (we normally do once a week; it’s good to be a fire family). The boys were moving far too quickly for me to capture them yesterday and, as such, no adorable pictures of them on, with or around fire trucks. I do, however, have some great red shots.

If you don’t know, this is Fire Prevention Week! You can visit the official site for lots of information or hit up my post regarding online resources for teaching your children about fire safety or another one about storybooks that contain tips for fire safety. Tomorrow we have a great book review (one that has saved lives!) and a giveaway (fire safety related). Be sure to tune in; your family’s safety could depend upon it!

As for You Capture, please visit Beth at I Should Be Folding Laundry. Not just for the lovely red photos that everyone took this week but to offer her some support. If I know anything, it’s about complicated pregnancies, the awful waiting period between visits and trying to hold onto your faith in the midst of it now. Say a prayer for her, for her family and for this baby. The loss they have already experienced is one that no parent should endure. The FireFamily will be praying.

(The You Capture theme for next week is Still Life. Hmm. Help?)

BigBrother will be sporting a Toy Story backpack this year. Thanks to the release of Toy Story 3 in June 2010 (and the double feature of Toy Story 1 & 2 in theaters this October), it’s been easy to find Toy Story gear. And affordable. That said, fire trucks are still a big thing in our household. While researching backpack purchases this year, I bookmarked a few fire truck numbers that I thought I could share with our readers.

I love the colors on this cute, quilted Stephen Joseph backpack. I love the fire doggie (a hit with LittleBrother right now). I figure this particular bag would be most appropriate for a younger preschooler, not yet thrust into the world of Licensed Characters and Name Brand Stuffs. It has a unique drawstring closure under the flap and a roomy 14″ x 12″ x 4″ for everything a preschooler needs to carry to and from their school to your vehicle. The best thing about this bag? Machine washable. PERFECT for the younger set, no? It runs $21.97.

This Crocodile Creek backpack makes me laugh with the “sound” that the bag says that the truck is making. If you ask LittleBrother what sound a fire truck makes, he’ll tell you that it says (in a very high pitched voice), “WOO WOO WOO!” Not “Whirrrrrrr.” But you know, details. I like the mesh bottle pocket on the side of this bag as BigBrother has to take his (Lightning McQueen) water bottle just about everywhere. Handy little feature there! Again, the colors are bright and wonderful. This particular bag sizes in at 14″ x 11″. It runs $28.00 at Chasing Fireflies. It’s also available at Amazon for $25.95.

If you prefer to go the handmade direction, you can’t go wrong with this one from Etsy. I absolutely love it. Black and white and red and personalized. Just have your child’s initial or whole name added to the top and no one will be able to swipe their backpack. No confusion at pack up time. And really, what are the chances that someone else in your child’s class is going to have this backpack? It measures 8.5 inches wide by 11 inches tall, and 3.5 inches deep. Another nice, roomy backpack for the fire truck lovers among us. It runs $32.50 but, remember, buying handmade helps other families. Kudos!

If BigBrother wasn’t constantly wearing his Buzz Lightyear costume around our house and lasering things, I really would have gone the route of a fire truck backpack this year. Hopefully those who are searching for something for their little firefighter find this post useful.

Happy Back-to-School! (*enter sirens here*)

(And if you’re needing a variation on a fire truck backpack for an older tween, teen or college student, read my review on Feuerwear Bags. From purses to messenger bags to laptop bags all made from recycled fire hose. HOW COOL.)

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[No compensation was received for this post. I simply like fire trucks. I Blog with Integrity.]

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[For more Wordless Wednesday, please visit 5 Minutes for Mom and Life Down Our Lane.]

If BigBrother had his way, we’d visit the fire department every day. Even those days when FireDad is home. LittleBrother wouldn’t argue either. They love fire trucks. It’s part of their bloodline. And while I have suggested to readers to visit fire departments, the truth is that you can’t visit every single day. So what do you do with a child who is vastly interested in fire trucks but has already used up the fire department visits for the week, month or year.

You turn to technology, of course.

I wish I could take credit for this idea. But I can’t. FireDad gets all the kudos for this one even if it was semi-accidental. He was sitting at his laptop one day (one exceptionally whiny, rainy day) when he decided to surf YouTube. For what? Fire trucks. Fire sirens. And all the varying degrees of noisy but wonderful searches. BigBrother stopped whining, stood next to the chair and exclaimed his joy over and over with each new video. LittleBrother did the same. We had an instantaneous winner on our hands.

There are videos of fire truck sirens in parades. There are citizens watching fire trucks zoom past. There are the sirens going off over volunteer departments, alerting their members to a call. Any kind of siren you want, old or new, can be found. And it provides some great “time-wasting” and giggling. We actually turn to this on days like yesterday and, according to the forecast, today. We normally play outside after supper but when it is raining or, worse, storming, we have to find something else to use up that time. This is just one of the things we happen to turn to because giggles before bedtime… ? Yes, please.

And so, a few of BigBrother’s favorites:

And, perhaps my favorite “siren” video, brought to you by BigBrother:

Awesome.

And so the next time your little one wants to go see some fire trucks, plan a virtual trip. But be prepared to listen to sirens at maximum volume for a good half an hour. Have some ibuprofen ready. And enjoy your virtual fire truck ride. (Make your own video(s) while you’re at it!)