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National Fire Plan Success Story

Fun Learning with Future Wildland Firefighters
National Parks of the National Capital & Northeast Regions
National Fire Plan - Firefighting
2008-2010

Firefighter with young boy using a fire hose.
Current and future firefighters get a little practice with a hose on Junior Ranger Day. NPS photo by John Mitchell.

A young boy and girl wearing hard hats and fire shirts sitting in a truck.
Almost everybody wants to drive a fire engine - and play with the siren! NPS photo by John Mitchell.

National Park Service truck and fire equipment on display.
Recruitment opportunities are everywhere, including New York City. NPS photo by Cliff Lively.

Who hasn’t wanted to spray something with a fire hose? Turning on the siren in a fire truck is fun, and, playing dress-up rarely gets old. Around the parks of the Northeast and National Capital Regions, youngsters got a little taste of wildland firefighting over the past three years. From the streets of New York City to the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, a good time was had by current and future firefighters.

Kids remember when they have fun learning, including key ideas, such as always be careful with fire. The opportunities were many, at Junior Ranger Day, World Ranger Day, National Fire Prevention Week, Earth Day, and career days; so many times when someone asked, what do rangers do? They got answers at parks including Booker T. Washington National Monument, Cape Cod National Seashore, Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, George Washington Birthplace National Monument, Monocacy National Battlefield, Petersburg National Battlefield, Shenandoah National Park, and even Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site in New York City.

Who knows? In ten or fifteen years, a 20-something novice firefighter may look around after a long day of working in the dirt and smoke. Nearby, wearing a boss’s helmet could be a face topped with gray hair that looks almost familiar. They might just start that classic conversation that takes them back to a fine afternoon in a national park.

Contact: Barb Stewart, Fire Communication Specialist, NPS Northeast & National Capital Regions, (434) 220-9065.