Monday, November 29, 2010

Visit To The Civil Defence Heritage Gallery

Check out the little firemen in my house! =)

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We brought the girls to visit the Civil Defence Heritage Gallery last weekend and it was interesting! =)

The Central Fire Station is the oldest station in Singapore and every Saturday 9am-11am, the station is open for members of the public to visit. We didn’t make it for the open house, but instead visited the heritage gallery which was situated next to the fire station. I love how majestic and bold the building looked!

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Don’t you just love old buildings with a piece of history? =)

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At the main lobby of the heritage gallery, there’re showcases of different kinds of helmets and badges..

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The heritage gallery is divided into 2 levels. Level 1 exhibited all the actual fire engines from past to present, and showcased significant fire outbreak cases and shared experiences by outstanding firemen.

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One of the ancient fire engines that was powered by steam! One thing that never changed over the years is the bright red colour of the engines!

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There was an ancient telephone on display and the girls had fun with something not from their era! I told them that’s a telephone and they were tickled! It sure didn’t look like the cordless phone at home or Mummy’s blackberry!

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When you pick up the ear piece, there’s a recording that broadcasted, ‘Help! There’s a fire here! Please come!’ 

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An even older fire engine! Looks so antique!

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Ancient fire hose..

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Level 2 had more operation-related exhibits. You will learn about what civil defence officers do when there’re natural disasters or accidents that resulted in people being trapped.

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You would also gain knowledge on how rescue operations are carried out during a chemical outbreak or other hazardous events.

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One of the few interactive elements of the gallery is this area where children can wear the SCDF uniforms and helmets and pose for photographs..

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The uniforms were too huge for Baby Jayne, but she was happy enough wearing the helmet. :)

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The gallery is not big, and you can complete the tour within 30 minutes. Still, it was interesting especially because kids are always fascinated with the bright red fire engines! It was educational because along the way, we could explain to them how important it was to be fire-safe, not to play with fire or things that can cause fires.

Best of all, entry to the heritage gallery is absolutely free-of-charge! They’re open from 10am to 5pm everyday, so bring your kids for a visit! If you can make it on Saturday mornings between 9am to 11am, your kids can also go through a tour at the Central Fire Station where they will see live demonstrations of how rescue missions are conducted. I’ll be back for that another day! =)