As Cub Scout Pack 327 explore the inside of the ambulance at the Lonsdale Fire Department on Wednesday night, one kid enthusiastically requests to ask Captain Adam Vycital a question.
Pack 327 explores the Lonsdale Fire Department, learning along the way. The station is the home of “Big Boy,” a yellow ladder truck that was among the first responders in New York City when the towers fell.
Vycital gives each Cub Scout a look at his heat sensor, which enables the firefighters to see through the smoke and identify where people are. By placing his hand on a cold wall and removing it, he demonstrated how it picks up body heat.
Captain Adam Vycital tells Cub Scouts Pack 327 the honor that comes with being a scout and encourages them to “stick with it.” (Colton Kemp/southernminn.com)
By holding up two fingers, Captain Adam Vycital gets the Cub Scouts’ attention. The scouts each wear their plastic firefighter hats, which Vycital gave them to bring home. (Colton Kemp photos/southernminn.com)
As Cub Scout Pack 327 explore the inside of the ambulance at the Lonsdale Fire Department on Wednesday night, one kid enthusiastically requests to ask Captain Adam Vycital a question.
Pack 327 explores the Lonsdale Fire Department, learning along the way. The station is the home of “Big Boy,” a yellow ladder truck that was among the first responders in New York City when the towers fell.
Just a few hours before the area saw major snowfall Wednesday, the Lonsdale Cub Scouts Pack 327 filed into the Lonsdale Fire Department, where they gifted popcorn to the team of hometown heroes.
“We raise money all year for the popcorn and then choose a group to donate it to,” said Liz Marson, one of the pack’s leaders. “We chose local nurses one year, teachers one year.
“This year, we chose our hometown heroes. So, we gave some to the Police Department last week, and they gave us a tour of the station. This week, we’re giving some to the firefighters.”
Captain Adam Vycital expressed the team’s gratitude by taking the scouts on a tour through the fire station.
Walking from truck to truck, Vycital taught the scouts about the various positions on a team, the reason for the color-coded nozzles, what the truck’s different tools do and even how much water each truck holds.
At right: Captain Adam Vycital gives Cub Scout Pack 327 a look at their device, which cuts into a car as “easy as scissors cut paper.”
Vycital gives each Cub Scout a look at his heat sensor, which enables the firefighters to see through the smoke and identify where people are. By placing his hand on a cold wall and removing it, he demonstrated how it picks up body heat.
No shortage of questions came from the kids, sometimes serious and sometimes silly. They even had the opportunity to climb inside a few of the trucks, which was a major source of excitement for the scouts.
Toward the end of the tour, the captain showed them how firefights see through the smoke.
He even let them carefully test out the heat-sensing device, demonstrating how it can detect warm handprints on a cold wall.
Just before giving the kids a plastic helmet, stickers and a magnet at the end, he advised them to stay in the scouts.
“My grandfather was an Eagle Scout; my dad was an Eagle Scout; I was an Eagle Scout,” he said. “Stay in the Boy Scouts. It’s a really neat thing. … (Being an Eagle Scout) is a very big honor to have. I love that. I think it’s like less than 2% of the population gets it.
“It’s one of the very few (honors) that the president actually awards you something as a citizen of the United States who’s not in the military. So, stick with it guys. I really enjoyed it.”
Cub Scout Pack 327 take a peek inside a large red firetruck. (Colton Kemp photos/southernminn.com)
Captain Adam Vycital tells Cub Scouts Pack 327 the honor that comes with being a scout and encourages them to “stick with it.” (Colton Kemp/southernminn.com)
After handing out the goodies for the kids to bring home and before posing for a picture with everyone, the captain expressed his gratitude for the gift and the visit.
“Thank you guys for the popcorn,” he told the scouts. “I know the firemen always enjoy this and we really appreciate it. I hope you guys had fun and I hope I answered most questions. Be safe this year and I hope I don’t have to see you guys, other than maybe out and about.”
By holding up two fingers, Captain Adam Vycital gets the Cub Scouts’ attention. The scouts each wear their plastic firefighter hats, which Vycital gave them to bring home. (Colton Kemp photos/southernminn.com)
