See You Ladder

There’s something about a rescue hero that appeals to the kid in all of us. Our children look longingly at the big, shiny emergency vehicles, while we admit to swooning a little when presented with men in uniforms. So this week SavvyMom is bringing you an outing that is sure to appeal to everyone in the family—and leave you a little wiser about fire safety as well.
This summer the Vancouver fire halls have been taking turns hosting Sunday afternoon open houses for members of the public. Your local firefighters will be on hand to show off their equipment, answer questions, and even serve up some refreshments. And, thanks to coverage from neighbouring personnel, they won’t be called away from the festivities by an untimely fire call.

The stations’ new high-tech tools are a definite highlight—devices such as thermal imaging cameras and compressed air foam systems. Our team was surprised to find out that every medical emergency call is responded to by firefighters as well as ambulance paramedics, as firefighters are often able to get to the scene a bit earlier. In fact, 70 percent of 2007’s 42,000 call-outs were to offer medical assistance, and they usually end up assisting with the delivery of several babies each year as well—thanks, guys!