Mooseheart children meet Batavia firefighter heroes

As residents of Mooseheart's Baby Village, probably the eight children who visited Batavia's East Side Fire Station were a little too young to understand all the nuances of fighting fires.

But they knew a real-life firefighter when they met one - and Greg Stoffel certainly filled that role.

Stoffel gave the Mooseheart children a tour of the station Aug. 2. He showed them the firefighter's living quarters, the fire pole and let them sit in a fire truck. At the end of the visit, he handed each of them a red plastic fire hat to wear home.

"It's extremely nice of the Batavia Fire Department to allow our youngest children to come up there and to spend a half-hour and see the inner workings of a firehouse," said Mooseheart Executive Director Scott Hart.

Stoffel discussed with the children a little about the need for fire safety, then slid down the fire pole himself, which made all the children want to try their hand - though their efforts were limited to grabbing the pole a couple of feet from the ground and lifting their feet briefly.

"The firemen were able to present the information on the level of the children so that they were able to understand it," Hart said. "I don't know of many boys who don't at some point dream of growing up to be a fireman. That's a hero's job. I know the firefighters don't consider themselves heroes - but they are, and we have them right here in the Fox Valley and our children were able to meet them. I know that had an impact on them."

While they may be heroic people who ride in large trucks and save lives, firefighters are also regular citizens of the community, and Hart said that meeting a firefighter, and seeing they aren't superhuman is a good thing, too.

"It does give our kids a chance to see that these are regular people who have a love for the community," Hart said. "We certainly don't want our children to grow up thinking that every time they see a firefighter, that means something bad has happened."

Mooseheart Child City & School is a 1,000-acre community and school for children and teens in need of a secure home, located just south of Batavia.

Since its founding in 1913, Mooseheart has operated a complete, accredited kindergarten to high school academic program, plus art, music, vocational training and interscholastic sports.

Mooseheart is currently home to roughly 230 students, ranging in age from preschoolers to high school seniors. Applications for admission to Mooseheart are considered from any family whose children are, for whatever reason, lacking a stable home environment.