Don’t know what to do with the kids during the weekend? Consider an educational trip to a fire station. All the fire stations in Singapore are open to the public every Saturday morning from 9am to 11am.
Planning your trip to the fire station
1. Decide on which fire station to visit.
There are 16 fire stations in Singapore (as of 5 July 2012), see the list of stations here. I suggest visiting one that is nearest to your home.
2. Check if the station is open.
Some fire stations may not be closed for a certain period, for example, to undergo renovations. So remember to check here to see if the station you plan to visit is available.
3. Note the vistation time slots.
There are two time slots for fire station visit: 9-10am or 10-11am (what I was told when I rang SCDF to enquire about the visit). I opted for the first session, thinking if it’s too crowded, we can still register/wait and return for the second session. Turned out we were the only ones there that day and our trip lasted about 1.5 hours.
4. Prepare your kids for the visit.
Pique children’s interest about the visit- for example, read books about firefighters or watch relevant videos on YouTube (see some suggested videos at bottom of the page) and talk about what firefighters do. There are also games available on the SCDF website that you can make use of.
5. Check out the Civil Defence Heritage Gallery too.
If you are going to the Central Fire Station, hop over next door to the Civil Defence Heritage Gallery (see location and opening hours here). You can take a virtual tour of the Gallery before the actual visit.
What we did at the fire station – let the pictures do the talking!
Checking out the vehicles…
See a firefighter don his action gear…
Getting some hands-on…
Lastly, having some family photos taken…
By the way, many friends have asked about this cute little toy fire engine after seeing yesterday’s post. I’m not sure if all fire stations will have it. Makes me wonder if more people will visit the Sengkang Fire Station from now on? (by the way, the red helmet Kenan wore was a free gift as part of the visit).
Videos to watch
Billy Blue Hair: How Do Firefighters Battle Fire?
Cool Big Fire Trucks Kids Song
Hi! I'm Ruth.
I love hanging out at cafes. It's where I have heart-to-heart talks with friends, chill out with my hubby, spend solitary moments with a book in hand, do my work, plan my future and very often, to people-watch.
In starting this blog, I hope to create a cosy virtual space to share about my life after becoming a WAHM - the mundane and the not so mundane and lessons I am learning along the journey. 
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
We had fun at SK Fire Station few years back TWICE! DinoEgg took a ride on the platform and the ladder sent him high high HIGH up. Very exciting! But this mummy has no guts to do tt and who is going to take the photo from down here? lol
DinoMama recently posted..The WOW Bunch No More!
Why didn’t we have the ride on the platform and ladder?! Gee, now we must make another trip back just for that – coz it sounds too fun!
I doubt there are any construction sites opening… cos my daughter’s favourite vehicle is the excavator and cement truck. *face palm* But after reading your post, I’m going to start introducing her to the fire engine so we could bring her to the fire station!
Ming recently posted..Colour Spray + Stencils
Same here! My boy loves excavators and cranes! Hopefully when KidZania comes to Singapore, there will be something related to construction. But probably by then our kids would have moved on to something else!
good educational trip idea! my girl loves watching caillou the firefighter. maybe she’ll enjoy an actual visit to the fire station too!
janie recently posted..monday.
Janie, do bring her! It would be worth the exposure
I think the Central Fire Station is a good choice since you can hop over next door to the Civil Defence Heritage Gallery next door 