I was looking at the library trying to find something for my 3-year-old son, Allen, to watch. I spotted Amazing Heroes ~ Spend a day with Fire Fighters DVD. Allen has always been fascinated with fire trucks so I thought he might enjoy this DVD.

What to Expect:

Dash and Pat are the guides in the DVD. Dash is woman and Pat is a robot. Dash says that she is a Hero-ologist which is someone who studies extraordinary people. She tells us that there are over 1 million firefighters in America. There is some footage of firefighters from the old days. The first firefighters were in 1787.

The 911 Dispatch Center is the place where the calls come in. The operator connects to the fire station to tell them about the fire. Firefighters are dressed and ready to go out on a call in 60 seconds. Dash says ”Heroes are not born – they are made”. There are various scenes from the training. They have a practice "Burning House" where they see how much heat they can withstand. The fire temperature can be controlled in that house. They must stay in there until the instructor says that come out. They show how they rescue someone from a car.

There are lots of different types of firemen including: Nozzlemen, Hydrantmen, Tillermen, Apparatus Operator, Engineers, Battalion Chiefs, Top Men, Outside Ventmen, Inspectors, Captains, Firechiefs, and Deputy Firechiefs. They each work together to get the job done.

They share what life is like in the firehouse when they are not out fighting fires. They work 24-hour shifts so this becomes a second home to them. They eat, cook and clean there. They even wash the fire engine everyday. They show us a special camera that helps them to rescue people. They can see to walk through a dark room. This camera is great for being used in the heat. They also show the different dials and controls on the truck.

Things I learned:

~ Firefighter uniform weighs about 50 pounds

~ 190 million 911 calls daily

~ There are different colored fire hydrants. Yellow has the most water. Red has the least.

~ Some of the trucks can hold 1,000 gallons of water, which is equivalent to 16,000 juice boxes

~ 700,000 Firefighters are volunteer making 73% of Firefighters volunteer

~ Tips for what to do if your house or clothes are on fire

Final Thoughts:

I rented this for Allen to watch, but my 9-year-old Aaron ended up enjoying it more. The recommended age is for kids 4-10. Allen liked seeing the firetrucks, but he didn’t care about much else. All of the information that they told was over his head so he didn’t pay much attention. Aaron really liked it though. He sat intently and watched it. I could tell that he was really taking it all in.

They gave more detail than I expected. I wasn’t thinking that I was going to learn anything, but I ended up learning a lot actually. I didn’t know the statistics. I also didn’t think about that there are so many different types of firefighters. I hadn’t really given it a lot of thought. Before I just thought of them all jumping in the truck and everyone doing what they saw fit at the time. I really didn’t think about people being assigned special jobs and having training in special areas.

They also have a Police Officers and Rescue Workers DVD in the Amazing Heroes Series. You can hear it in English or Spanish. If you have a child that is fascinated with firefighters you should get them this DVD. It is very educational with lots of great footage. The picture and sound are average. I didn’t think I would be interested in watching it, but my kids wanted me to watch it with them. I am actually glad that I did. It wasn’t bad at all.

Running Time: Approximately 30 Minutes


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: None of the Above
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children up Ages 8