Pretend: Bucket Brigade Activity

Citizens in Early Alexandria kept at least one fire bucket in their home or business. When they heard there was a fire in town, they grabbed the fire buckets and ran to the fire to help. Citizens and firefighters formed a bucket brigade to fill a fire engine with water and to help put out the fire.  Imagine what it was like to fight a fire in Alexandria in the past.  Then, use supplies you have at home and family members to recreate a bucket brigade. 

Pretend: Fire Ladder Rescue Activity

Get your little firefighter moving in this motor skills challenge!  Create a fire ladder outline using tape (indoors) or sidewalk chalk (outdoors).  Pick a movement card to climb the ladder extinguish a “fire” and rescue some (stuffed toy) animals.

Play: Fire Safety Bingo

Firefighting and fire safety has changed a lot since Friendship Fire Company was founded in 1774. Use this activity to review what you've learned about firefighting in early Alexandria. It’s also a great way your family can start a conversation about how to stay safe during fire emergencies at home in the 21st century.  After your Bingo game, watch the video below “Making a Home Fire Escape Plan” together.  Then make your plan as a family and practice it!

Friddell, Claudia, and Troy Howell. Goliath: Hero of the Great Baltimore Fire. Ann Arbor, MI: Sleeping Bear Press, 2010.

Baltimore author Claudia Fridell tells readers about the Baltimore Fire of 1904 through the story of Goliath the fire horse who was assigned to Engine Company 15’s massive Water Tower fire apparatus. This book is available through the Alexandria Library.

Nolan, Janet, and Marie Lafrance. The Firehouse Light. Berkeley [Calif.]: Tricycle Press, 2010.

This picture book tells the true story of the Centennial Bulb, a light bulb located in a firehouse that has been lit for over one hundred years. As the bulb presides over the firehouse, the illustrations and text show readers how firefighting and the community change over time. The book is available through Arlington Library. You can see the Centennial Bulb in Livermore, California – live via the Bulb-cam! – and learn more about it.

Ochiltree, Dianne, and Kathleen Hadam Kemly. Molly, by Golly!: The Legend of Molly Williams, America's First Female Firefighter. 2012.

Molly cooks for Mr. Aymar and the volunteer firefighters of Fire Company Number 11 in early 1800s New York City. When a nearby home catches fire during a blizzard and the company volunteers are sick, Molly helps the fire company raise the alarm and put out the fire. Based on the author’s research into the life of Molly Williams, this book is available in Alexandria, Arlington, and Fairfax libraries.

Osborne, Mary Pope and Steve Johnson. New York's Bravest. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2002.

Standing eight feet tall, with enough strength to lift a trolley, Mose the firefighter helps put out fires all over bustling 1840s New York City. Gorgeous illustrations and simple text are used to relate this story in the tradition of Paul Bunyon. Osbourne drew upon fictionalized stories of real-life firefighter Mose Humphreys to create her story of this urban folk hero. The book is available in Fairfax Library.

Friendship Firehouse Museum - Google 360 Virtual Tour

Come for a virtual visit to our museum! Using your museum detective eyes, how many leather fire buckets can you find? Can you find clasped hands (the symbol of Friendship)? Hint: they are in two places! Look for a speaking trumpet that a fire captain might have used, then “climb” the stairs to see the room where the fire company met.

The Gear Firefighters Wear (YouTube Video) - NFPA Kids

Find this and other videos on the National Fire Protection Association's webpages.

In this video from the National Fire Protection Association, their mascot Sparky the Fire Dog and Firefighter Tony show kids what firefighters in the 21st century wear when they fight fires.

Making a Home Fire Escape Plan (YouTube Video) - NFPA Kids

Find this and other videos on the National Fire Protection Association's webpages.

Firefighting and fire safety has changed a lot since Friendship Fire Company was founded in 1774. Our families still have an important safety role to play in fire emergencies. One of the most important ways your family can be safe during a fire emergency is to have a home fire escape plan together. The National Fire Protection Association shows you how to make a home fire escape plan in six easy steps. Make your family’s plan together today!