fire! fire!

fire! fire! in the city


In an apartment house, a breeze has blown a towel up into the flame of a hot stove. a fire begines. the smoke alarm screams. a phone call alerts the fire-dispatch center. instantly, a dispatcher calls the firehouse nearest the fire. a loudspeaker blarers out the address of the fire, and the firefighters go into action. they slide down brass poles to the ground floor, where the fire engines are, and hurry into their fire-fighting gear. then they take their positions on their engines. the big trucks roar 0ut of the firehouse. sirens scream and lights flash. the fire engins arrive at the scene. the fire is biger now. the fire chief is in charge. he decides the best way to fight this fire. hoses are pulled from the trucks. each separat fire truck is called a "company". each separate company has an officer in charge. the fire chief tells each officer in chaerge what he wants the firefighters what to do. firefighters are ordered to search the building to make sure no one is still inside. a man is trapped. a ladder tower is swung into action. the man is rescued quickly. at the same time, an aerial ladder is takeing other firefighters to the floor above the fire. inside, the firefighters attach a hose to the building's standpipe. water is sprayed onto the fire to keep it from moveing up through the apartment house. now the aerial ladder is swung over to the roof of the burning building. firefighters break holes in the roof and windows to let out poisonous gases, heat, and smoke before they can cause a bad explosion. There's less danger now for the firefighters working inside the building. firefighters are battling the blaze from the outside of the building, too. fire hoses carry water from the fire hydrants to the trucks. pumps in the fire trucks control the water pressure and push the water up through the discharge hoses. streams of water hit the burning building and buildings next door to keep the fire from spreading. the fire is under control. the fire is out. the firefighters clean up the rubble. back at the firehouse they clean their equipment and make and official report on the fire. city firefighters take turns living at their firehouse. there are firefighters on duty day and night. between alarms they practice and train. they teach people fire prevention, too.

The End

(from the book by Gail Gibbons)