Visit to the Central Fire Station

I took Nathan and Noah to the Central Fire Station last weekend and we had a great time. The SCDF allows the public to visit their fire stations to learn more about the various fire fighting equipment and the capabilities of the firemen. The boys got to see (and try) some of the equipment that the firemen use, how the firemen suit up in their fireproof gear, how they slid down the poles and even got to ride on the fire engine and Red Rhino!

Trying out the presurized water jet

Nathan was rather apprehensive about trying out the water jets initially. But after he saw how the other kids did it, he decided that he wanted to have a go as well. We learnt that the water jets can go up to a pressure of 10 bars and that beyond 7 bars, 2 firemen are needed to hold the hose. Nathan got to feel how a 3 bar water jet felt like (well... not quite, since he needed gong gong's help to hold the hose).

Next, we got to see how the firemen slid down the poles. They demonstrated 2 styles - the American syle (bear hug) and the Singapore style (more 'stylish' and faster I believe). After watching the men, Nathan actually said he wanted to try! But of course, this was not something that the public was allowed to try.

The highlight of the visit for both boys is getting to see the fire engine and red rhino up-close and also getting to ride in them.

Fire engine - the ones we commonly see on the roads

On the Red Rhino

Noah's legs are too short to reach the pedals

At the back of the Red Rhino

Radio-ing for reinforcements

After the live demonstrations, we proceeded to the gallery where there were more vehicles on display. They also had a kid-sized fireman costume which the kids can put on and take photos in. Nathan refused to try it on though. So no photos of that to show. There were also stations where kids can create pencil rubbings of fire engines, fire stations etc.

An olden day fire engine

All in all, a worthwhile visit. The SCDF allows the public to visit on Saturdays, 9 to 11am. Almost all stations are open for such community visits. Though I'm not sure if the other stations have a gallery like the one at the Central Fire Station. For groups less than 10, no reservations required. Just show up at the station at 9am. For the Central Fire Station, the best places to park would be Funan Centre, or the open air carpark beside Bible House. Most of the live demonstrations are conducted in the open, so probably not a good idea to visit when it rains. Check out the SCDF's website for more info.