l a k e s h o r e l i v i n g 10 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER August 1,1973 ummmtm PHOTOS BY ARNOLD STAPERT Top left, Kismif worker Judy Crerar helps Richard take charge behind the wheel of big "pumper 11." Top right, even though helper Debbie Nye didn't get a captain's hat, she seemed to enjoy the tour as much as Rebecca. Far left, Rebecca "sees" with her hands with help from fireman Ed Robertson. At left, a hoist from the fireman puts Rebecca at the controls of the big aerial ladder. Being a fireman looks like fun By NANCY MIDDAUGH It was " show and tell" time last week for the firemen at the Central Fire Station, as they rolled out the red carpet to welcome three special guests. The guests, three handicapped Oakville youngsters, were there along with their helpers from Project Kismif, an Opportunities For Youth group which is spending the summer aiding some of Oakville's handicapped children. One of the Kismif workers explained that their group is in charge of a total of 10 youngsters, each of whom they try to work with on a two week basis, or longer if possible. B a s i c a l l y , t h e i r purpose is to intergrate the children, wherever possible, into regular playground activ ities sponsored by the Parks and R e c r e a t i o n Commission. However, once a week, they are taken on a special outing to make up for the things they are unable to do in the course of normal playground events. Last week, that special day meant a tour of the fire station for three of the children. Their day began with the showing of two cartoon films on fire safety and prevention, starring Donald Duck and Jimminy Cricket. Donning fire helmets, they then proceeded to check out al l the emergency firefighting equipment as they sat behind the controls in big "pumper truck 11," and heard the screech of the siren ringing in their ears. T he t o u r was particularly exciting for eight-year-old Rebecca Sutton who found herself behind the controls of the huge aerial ladder which extended high above the roof of the fire hall. Rebecca's handicap is blindness, but it didn't stop her from feeling her way around the controls with the aid of fireman Jim Johnston. As a matter of fact, she kept him on his toes answering some pretty tough questions about the safety equipment such as the guard rail which she discovered near the controls to the ladder. R e b e c c a 's t wo companions, eight-year- old Richard C rea loc^ and nine-year-old Alan J o r d a n , b o t h in wheelchairs, were pretty tough inspectors as well. It wasn't enough for the tour to be fun. They were there to learn too...and, as Alan pointed out before leaving, he hoped his name would be spelled properly in the newspaper. We do too, Alan.