Fire Safety Day

It's the second day of the fair, and already we have had many visitors to our booth. Today was the Governor's Fire Safety Day, and we featured firefighting in our booth.

Mike Anderson of Pine Technical College and Mike Roe of Ridgewater College, both fire program managers, visited this afternoon with fairgoers and also had fire suits and equipment for demo.

Mike Anderson and Mike Roe relax between fire safety demonstrations.

When I asked Anderson why he decided to go into firefighting as a career, he said he felt it was his duty as a citizen and has always had the desire to serve. In speaking with both Mikes, I also learned a few things about the preparation involved when responding to a fire.

The fire suit with equipment and boots weighs approximately 80 pounds, which after trying it on, I can say it would take some getting used to! I found out that the suit can withstand temperatures up to 900° Fahrenheit! The maximum time that a firefighter has to suit up is 60 seconds, leaving about another 30 to 60 seconds to get equipment on and get out the door!

Mike Anderson helps me get suited up.

Here I am all suited up!

So how does a person get started? In order to get your certification, try calling your local fire department. Most departments will take volunteers and pay for their training to be certified (120 hours). There are 14 colleges and universities within our system that offer firefighter training and education and can be found online at www.firecenter.mnscu.edu.

That's all for today. We hope to see you out at the booth!

-- Emily