Boxcar Children 56 - Firehouse Mystery by Charles Tang, Gertrude Chandler Warner Page B

pumper was open and a heavy firefighters’ coat hung on it. On the floor below it was a pair of heavy boots already tucked into a pair of heavy pants. It looked as if someone had just stepped out of the clothes and left them there.
    Violet was about to ask why when suddenly a loud bell filled the air, and then there was a voice speaking over a loudspeaker. “Smoke reported in the basement of the office building on the corner of Third and Elm.”
    Steve quickly guided Grandfather and the children off to the side of the garage. There they were out of the way, but could see what was happening. Several firefighters ran quickly in from the firehouse. In no time they had put on their heavy pants and coats. They grabbed their hats and oxygen masks and climbed onto the ladder truck.
    One firefighter ran to the driver’s side of the pumper and took off her sneakers. Now the Aldens realized why the clothes had been left on the floor that way. In one easy step, she stepped into her boots and then pulled up the pants. Next she took the jacket that was hanging on the open door and put it on. She jumped into the truck and put on her hat and oxygen mask, which were already inside on the seat. Another firefighter got in on the other side.
    The ladder truck and the pumper pulled out of the garage, their sirens wailing.
    “They were so fast!” cried Jessie.
    “They have to be,” Steve said. “Speed is very important when you’re going to fight a fire.”
    “What were those masks for?” asked Benny.
    “You mean this?” Steve asked, taking a strange-looking mask out of one of the lockers.
    Benny nodded.
    “This attaches to a tank of oxygen that’s worn on your back,” Steve explained.
    “You know, Benny, smoke can be even more dangerous than fire,” Grandfather explained. “It keeps you from getting the oxygen you need to breathe. That’s why firefighters wear those masks.”
    Steve put a mask on to show the children.
    “You look scary in that,” said Violet. “Like a giant bug!”
    “Or a creature from outer space,” added Benny.
    Steve removed the mask. “Sometimes at a fire, kids are afraid when they see us in all this gear. Then they run away when we’re trying to help them.”
    “That’s too bad,” said Jessie.
    Steve looked around at the children. “Would you all like to try on some real firefighters’ gear?”
    “Sure!” they said in unison.
    Steve found four sets of jackets and pants and boots. With help from Grandfather, the children put them on.
    “I can barely move, this stuff is so heavy,” said Benny.
    “It’s made of special fireproof materials,” Steve said. “Imagine wearing all that and running up stairs carrying heavy hoses!” He laughed.
    Then Steve handed each of them a hat. “Do you know why the hats are shaped like that?”
    The children shook their heads.
    “It protects your head, and also allows the water from the hoses to run down the back, instead of into your eyes,” Steve explained.
    Wearing the gear, the children ran around the garage, pretending to fight a fire.
    “I’ve got the fire hose,” cried Benny, holding an imaginary length of hose.
    “I’m going up to the top floor,” called Violet, pretending to climb a ladder.
    A few minutes later they saw the fire trucks returning. Everyone moved back against the side of the garage, out of the way.
    Grandfather looked at his watch. “They weren’t gone very long,” he commented.
    When the firefighter driving the pumper had gotten out and replaced her gear, Steve motioned to her to come over. “What happened, Christine?” he asked.
    “Another false alarm,” she responded. Then she looked at the children, still dressed in their big pants, coats, and hats. “But if it had been a real fire, we would have called you all to help!” She grinned.
    “What’s a false alarm?” asked Benny.
    “It’s when someone calls and says there’s a fire, but there really isn’t one,” Christine explained. “It’s dangerous,