Brooklyn Middle STEAM School hosts local fire chiefs

Two Minneapolis fire chiefs visited Brooklyn Middle STEAM School (BMS) shortly before winter break began to share about their career and fire safety with students during a STEAM Explorers class, where BMS students can sign up to learn more about different careers from local professionals. The STEAM Explorer visits allow time for the visitor to share about their career, which often includes a related activity for students, time for questions and a pizza lunch. 

During the fire chief visit, students watched a video that explained what a typical day in the life of a firefighter looks like. Fire chiefs David Carson and Tim Pixley shared details about their time as fire fighters and how they landed in this career, with Chief Pixley sharing that his interest in fire fighting began when he accidentally started a house fire while playing with matches as a child and was rescued from his home by firefighters. While Carson’s introduction to the career field was not as dramatic, he said that he’d hoped to become a firefighter since he was six years old.

“I’m living my childhood dream,” Carson said. “I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Helping people is really where I’ve found my purpose.”

The pair told students about the requirements needed to go into firefighting and the types of situations they respond to beyond fires, from medical crises to water rescues, drug overdoses, baby deliveries, animal rescues and many other emergencies. 

As they filled students in on their lives as fire chiefs, students took notes on the career, what skills are needed and what they learned from the presenters. At the end, students were able to check out and try on the firefighters’ turnout gear and trade their notes in for a pizza lunch.