Firefighting facts for kids
Firefighting is the act of trying to prevent the spread of and put out unwanted fires. The fires can be in buildings, vehicles, woodlands, and other places. A firefighter puts out fires to protect property, people and the environment.
Firefighters usually go through a lot of technical training. This includes fighting fires in buildings, cars and the woods.
One of the major hazards with firefighting is the poisonous environment made by things burning. Four major risks are smoke, oxygen deficiency, high temperatures and poisons in the air. To protect themselves from smoke, firefighters will wear a device called a breathing apparatus.
One way to put out fires is to spray them with water. The water does two things: it vaporizes when it comes in contact with fire. The water vapor leaves the fire with less oxygen, which it needs to keep burning. The other thing water does is make things cooler. That can keep the fire from burning because things will not burn if they are not hot enough.
Images for kids
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Bulgarian firefighters in action, 1930s
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Ottawa Fire Department motor pump, Ottawa, Ontario, taken by the Topley Studio, May 1915.
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A firefighter doing a ladder slide, which is used to quickly escape from a window
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A hose team training to fight an aircraft fire aboard a US aircraft carrier, 2006
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A fire warden poster, circa 1940s.
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Structure fire in Grand Rapids, Michigan, US
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Firefighters at Ground Zero during the September 11 attacks
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A fire helicopter is used to fight a wildfire
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USMC firefighters neutralize a fire during a training exercise
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A firefighting aircraft dumping water on a forest fire in South Africa.
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Iranian firefighters extinguish a fire at Bistoon Petrochemicals Powerhouse
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