Firefighters

At some point in their lives, almost every boy wants to be a firefighter – and for good reason: They are our modern-day heroes, best known for their willingness to risk their lives to save others during fires. But firefighters, as kids will read here, do much, much more than that. Among other things, they help free trapped motorists, put out forest fires, administer medical treatment (if they’re EMTs), deal with hazardous materials, and investigate possible cases of arson. First, kids will fully explore all these duties, and then get the inside scoop on a firefighter’s life from Paul Hogan, a volunteer fire chief from New Jersey.

Probably just as exciting as the duties of a firefighter, for kids who are obsessed with them, is the equipment they get to use in the line of work; in this issue, kids will learn all about the different kind of fire trucks, find out what makes up the 68 pounds of protective gear firefighters wear into a fire, and check out all their cool tools, like the jaws of life. They’ll also get an overview of firefighter history, as well as a full dose of firefighter lingo, including terms like “sky jello”, “hotshots”, “shake ‘n’ bakes”, and “flashovers”. Firefighters, for kids who can’t get enough of these brave public servants and their death-defying work, is sure to be a hot issue.