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By Shelly Radic
 With their shiny, red trucks packed with hoses and ladders, big black boots and heavy yellow overalls, brave acts and kind deeds, it’s easy to understand why preschoolers love firefighters. Celebrate your child’s birthday and our hometown heroes with a Firefighter Birthday Party.
Invitations: Purchase fire truck invitations or create your own with shiny red and black paper. Cut a 2-˝ inch square (fire truck cab), and a 5-˝ inch rectangle (fire truck back) from the red paper. Cut three 1-inch diameter tires from the black paper. Glue on the outside of a folded piece of construction paper to form a fire truck. With a black marker, add windows, a ladder and a flashing light. Print party information on the inside.
Decorations: Red and black streamers, plastic firefighter hats, Dalmatians, cut outs of fire hydrants, boots, and several rolled up garden hoses.
Food: Firefighter tortilla chips and “hot” salsa, fire pole sandwiches (bologna sandwiches on hot dog buns), red-hot applesauce (applesauce with melted red hot candies), and a Fire Truck Cake. (Cut a 2-˝ inch x 3-˝ inch rectangle from the right hand corner of an 8-˝ x 11 inch sheet cake. Frost cab window area white; frost remaining cake red. Add three round cookie tires, and use licorice and pretzel sticks to create ladders and hoses. Add a yellow gumdrop light. Outline fire truck cab, back, and windows with black icing.)
Activities:
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- Firefighter obstacle course-Lay a ladder flat on the ground and run through the rungs, spray liter bottles down with a garden hose, fill a bucket with water and throw it onto a playhouse, rescue a doll, then return to the ladder.
- Find the Fire House Dogs-Hide small stuffed or plastic Dalmatians around the yard for guests to find.
- Firefighter alert-Collect two sets of fire fighter clothes (big boots, raincoat, pants with suspenders, fire hats) and have guests take turns dressing, and then sliding down a small slide.
- Fire-safety coloring sheets (available at many fire stations).
- A short visit from or to the local fire department can often be arranged, but have a back up plan in case of an emergency call.
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Favors: Plastic firefighter hats, toy Dalmatians, length of garden hose, firefighter badge.
Now you have the perfect party planned, but how do you savor the memories? Check out Shelly’s tips for Rescuing Birthday Memories.
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Shelly Radic is the Director of Group Life at MOPS International and also the author of The Birthday Book: Creative Ways to Celebrate Your Child’s Special Day. Having hosted more than forty children's birthday celebrations, and attended countless others, Shelly is delighted to provide parents with a wealth of birthday planning ideas.
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