Firehouse Frenzy

In an effort to help Miles get over his anxiety about police and fire officials, I spoke to someone at the Gilbert Fire Dept. I explained our unique situation and they were very happy to help. They scheduled us for a tour at one of Gilbert's biggest stations. It is a "two crew" station. That meant, if one crew was out of a call, the other crew would likely be there. That made our chances of getting stood up, less likely. I was praying that it wouldn't be a busy day. I didn't want Miles to actually see them in action. I just had a feeling that it would be too much for him at this point. As it turns out, the world doesn't actually revolve around me and my kids, so I just asked if we could schedule our tour on a day and time that is usually slow.

The lady who works for the city who actually scheduled it for us, gave me the name and e-mail of the battalion chief who heads up the station that we would be visiting. I sent him an e-mail briefly outlining Miles' experiences and the reason for our visit. I didn't receive a response, so I printed a copy and left it in the drop box at the station, just in case. The night before our visit, I was surprised to receive a phone call from the chief. He wanted to discuss how Miles has been coping and get a little more information. He explained that he wouldn't be there during our visit, as he would be off leading a training exercise, but he wanted the crew to understand what Miles' needs were. I was so impressed with his sensitivity to our situation. That was definitely going a step above and beyond.

We had been watching "Elmo Visits The Firehouse" for weeks in preparation for our visit. Miles wore an Elmo t-shirt and brought his Tickle Me Elmo along for the ride. We spent a lot of time talking about how the fireman are going to be our friends and that we shouldn't be afraid to talk to them. I was keeping my fingers crossed that Miles would feel more comfortable than he did at the police station.

When we got there we were met with such a warm and enthusiastic greeting. All the guys had been anticipating our visit. I think that they were more excited than the boys were! One fireman took the lead and knelt right down and started breaking the ice with the boys. They gave the boys little plastic fire hats, badges, coloring books, tattoos, pencils, and certificates for free kids meals at Chik-fil-a. They really hit the jackpot!

First we walked into their training room which had a big projector screen and at least a dozen leather recliners. Miles hesitantly walked through the doorway. Luca on the other hand, stomped in and climbed right up into one the recliners and started rocking. It was as if he was waiting for one of the guys to turn on the football game.

Next, we saw their dorms. At that point Miles started to warm up saying, "I have a bed toooo!". One of the guys warned me that most kids think they like fire engines, until they get to the garage. He told me that most kids actually get really timid and nervous around the engines when they get up close. So, I didn't anticipate my kids being any different. We started back down the hall. And there it was! Through a window in the door, they saw the trucks! We walked out into the garage and there we two shiny fire trucks! Aidan climbed right up with one of the firefighters and started trying on helmets. Luca stomped around squealing with excitement. Miles on the other hand wanted to stand about ten feet back and wanted to keep a very close eye on these firemen guys. He was not too sure about this whole set up. I talked him into getting in the drivers seat of the truck, by telling him that I'd go with him. By the time I put him in the seat and took his picture, he was pointing his finger and demanding that I get down and close the door. He was ready to drive away!

All of the boys had fun, but Luca was a crack up. He walked around like he owned the joint. He stomped around and touched everything. He walked up to different firemen with out stretched

arms, insisting that they pick him up and carry him. There was one fire fighter in particular that he had quite a love affair with. This particular fireman was wrapped around Luca's drooly little finger. If Luca would grunt, he'd say, how high!

After looking at tools, the boys got to pretend to spray the fire hose. Aidan noticed that the wheels on the truck were big enough for him to sit in. They got to see the lights on the truck flashing. But, if you ask Miles what the highlight of the entire trip was, he'd tell you it was the orange water hose. He found a regular old garden hose, with an orange spray nozzle that the guys use to hose down the garage floor. Miles was overjoyed when he discovered it. We all know how obsessed he is with water hoses and the color orange. To find one and incorporated his two favorite things was spectacular. In only the orange water hose, shot out limes, we'd be set!