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Virtual Fire Department Visit

May 282009

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!)

Are You Following the Burn Ban in Ohio?

FireFamily Gets Serious 3 Responses »

Mar 232009

It’s Spring! I have sprouts. Our trees have buds. And the temperatures finally went back to something resembling the season of growth. Do you know what else this is a the season for? Wildfires in Ohio. I’m serious. Do you know what causes the more than 1,000 wildfires in Ohio each year? Careless, open burning. (And arson, of course. But that’s a topic of another post.) To boot, did you know that there is a ban on open burning right now? That’s right.

Open-burning is particularly dangerous in the spring and fall, when the leaves are on the ground, the grass is not green and the weather is warm, dry and windy. As a result, open burning in Ohio is prohibited in unincorporated areas in March, April, May, October, and November, 6 am to 6 pm.

A few weeks ago, my husband’s department had a large number of brush fires on their hands. In the month of March while the burn ban was in place during prohibited hours. Why? Sadly, not many people know about the ban or understand what and where burning is still allowed. That’s why sites like Ohio’s Department of Natural Resources are so awesome. It spells out in pretty easy to understand language that you simply cannot burn much of anything between the hours of 6pm and 6am during these months. If you are needing to burn the land for reasons like vegetation regeneration, you actually need to have it approved first. If you don’t, a wildfire that could not only endanger your property but people’s lives.

A brief look at other states shows me that we’re not alone in this one. As an example, West Virginia only lets you burn between the hours of 4pm and 7am. That begs the question: does your state have a burn ban in place? Some states are like Ohio and have specific months every year with limitations on burning. Other states watch things like air quality and weather and issue burn bans for specific counties as the need arises. Do you know how your state mandates burn bans? You can do a quick google search by entering “burn ban” and your state’s name to find out pertinent information. Of course, there’s an even easier way to go about it: simply call your local fire department. Whether they are a paid or a volunteer department, they will be able to give you the information that you need that will keep you, your neighbors and, in the end, those same firefighters safest with regard to this topic.

Please be safe. While it’s been rather chilly here, it’s also been relatively dry. Do your part and clean up the leaves and other debris. Keep your burning set to appropriate hours and on days without wind. And pass on the word to others about the burn ban or information that is pertinent to your state. We can all do our part to keep wildfires at a minimum this year.