OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — In a typical school year, students often look forward to visits from their local fire departments — or perhaps they're lucky to visit a nearby station in-person.
But this year, those visits and field trips have been put on hold due to the pandemic. So the Overland Park Fire Department is hoping to bring that experience to you and your student.
"We thought, 'What captivates kids more than the fire trucks?' And, 'nothing' is the answer," OPFD media manager Jason Rhodes said. "So, we started with Engine 41, that’s kind of the basic fire apparatus.
"I put a video together of one of our firefighters, Patrick Nelson, taking us on a tour with Fire Engine 41 to show us what a fire truck is, what its main tasks are, what it's equipped with, etc.," he said. "And throughout that video we weave in safety messages."
This free video will be available starting Tuesday morning on the Overland Park Fire Department's YouTube channel, under the "just for kids" section.
There, you'll also find a video for kids explaining the gear firefighters wear. The department also is working on a firehouse tour video that firefighters hope to post soon.
While it might not be the same as getting to speak to students in-person, during this pandemic, firefighters say it's the next best thing.
"There’s definitely no substitution for in-person interaction. You know, the questions and answers when kids are there, and just seeing the kids' reactions to fire trucks .... but it is important enough for us to try and continue our mission; to find, like everyone else, different ways to accomplish our mission during this difficult, challenging time," Rhodes said.
