Fire Fire

When we were in the forest today we discovered a fire that had not been put out properly - there was the risk that it could re-ignite, so we called the fire-brigade

while my colleague went down to meet up with the firefighters some of the children started to immediately process the situation - they walked over the the same spot the original call was made and pretended to call the fire department!

It didn't take long for them to arrive, and one came up to asses the situation - he soon radio-ed his colleagues to bring the fire-engine closer

We watched as the fire-engine drove across the play area to reach the edge of the forest

and up the hill the came to waving children and to be greeted "hello fire-engine" (I think we will be talking about the difference between fire-engines and firefighters in the coming days!)

they started to put out the fire with water and a gardening fork - there was lots of steam and smoke

They then analysed the situation and decided they needed to foam the area as the  heat had travelled deep into the ground - and fire requires just three things - oxygen, fuel and heat - this meant all three ingredients were still present.

so they went down to bring up a hose to foam the area

we could hear the fire engine motor start below as the pressure in the hose started to build up - and then out spurted lots of white foam.

It turned the area into a winter wonderland - but it certainly did not smell like snow - much more bubbly!

we went down the hill and saw how the water ran from under the fire engine crating small rivers on the play area (for ball sports) - these were great fun to jump over and splash in.

Then it was time to say good-bye to the fire engine and the firefighters.
It was a good thing to stay and watch the fire being extinguished - it gave the children the knowledge and understanding that the fire had been put out and that it was safe in the forest.
For some of the children it had been a little scary.
A small book of the day - not unlike this post was created for the children to read and look at in the afternoon - and to show their parents when they were picked up what they had experienced. This also give the parents a better chance to support their children process the experience - should they need to.