April 16, 2012 -- It was a full house on Tuesday, April 10, 2012 as close to 100 1^st grade students and their teachers from Lynch Meadows Elementary School visited Portland Fire & Rescue Station 31 (Rockwood) in SE Portland.

Captain Eric and Firefighters Chris, Kevin and Zach were on hand to show the children Engine 31 and Water Tender 31 housed at the station as well as the complex and specialized equipment stored on each apparatus.

Station personnel walked students and teachers around the newly built station, working safety messages into their talks, and encouraging the students not to run from but to firefighters in the event of a fire.

Firefighter Zach drove the message home by donning full-turnout gear and breathing apparatus and letting students touch and get used to what a firefighter looks like when coming to the rescue.

Children were excited to watch Firefighter Chris slide the fire pole, and see where the firefighters cook their meals and kept their gear.

A big thanks to the first grade students from the Lynch Meadow Elementary School for visiting Portland Fire & Rescue’s Station 31!