This morning was suppose to be the start of "play all day day" but Gary got a call out on a fire in Arbon Valley and headed out about 9:00. The boys were BUMMED until we decided to go see some of the action. One quick stop at McDonalds and we too were on our way.
The first stop was at the Tanker Base out at the airport. Gary assured me that no one would come and kick us out of the parking lot. We got quite a few strange looks when we just pulled up next to the fence and watched for about an hour. There were two large tankers flying as well as two smaller crop-duster size airplanes dumping water and fire retardant on the fire. Since the fire was so close to the base, the turn around time was pretty quick and there always seemed to be a plane landing or refilling or taking off. One of the tanker pilots even waved at the boys as he was taxing up to refill. We were close enough he could see them all waving from inside the car.
Next stop was the fire. We didn't actually get up to see flames before we were stopped by the trusty Fort Hall Police road block, but we were close enough to watch the two helicopters dip their buckets into a stream and fill up before heading back to the fire line. The boys loved it.
Even though it isn't a replacement for a day of fun with Dad, they do enjoy seeing what he does. In their eyes, it's all very glamorous and exciting. We don't tell them about the hours spent waiting for the fire to get to the spot they are protecting or the days in the truck driving from fire to fire. Let them think it is all helicopters, air tankers, fire engines, and bulldozers. That's what little boys love!
1 comment:
That is so cool that they got to see a bit of what there dad does! I am grateful for the firefighters too!!
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