By Teresa Herriman

The Courier-Herald

The East Pierce Fire and Rescue open house gave Zachary Rossmeier a chance to reintroduce himself to someone special. Lt. Zane Gibson, a firefighter/paramedic for East Pierce, helped deliver him three years ago.

Nicole Rossmeier said she doesn't know what she would have done if the crew from East Pierce hadn't arrived so quickly that day.

The Rossmeiers were joined Saturday by nearly 2,000 other area residents who stopped by district headquarters on Sumner-Buckley Highway to meet the firefighters and get a chance to walk in their shoes for a few hours. Interactive displays allowed parents and children to test their fire safety knowledge, purchase and be fitted for life jackets and bike helmets, communicate with rescue divers underwater in a large pool, watch equipment demonstrations and compete in the junior firefighter challenge.

Many of the children attending expressed a desire to become firefighters when they grow up. Kyle Lowe, 7, was preoccupied with his hot dog lunch, but his sister readily admitted he was considering firefighting as a career choice.

"He's been saying he wants to be a firefighter the whole time," Ashley Lowe said, rolling her eyes.

Young Michael Rockett, of Brown's Point near Federal Way, wore his own firefighter gear.

"He's obsessed with fire stations," his mother said as her son carefully rolled up the hose on one of the fire trucks.

"He did pretty much everything he could here."

The most popular display was the two-story fire safety house where firefighters reinforce lessons taught during the presentations they make at local schools. After a quick video, the kids take a tour of the upstairs. Suddenly, smoke fills the room and the children experience what it's like to evacuate a house.

For 9-year-old Whuckara Jensen of Bonney Lake, it was the highlight of the day.

"The most fun thing was going through the house with the smoke," she said.

Caleb Rosenau, 5, agreed. He repeated his "Stop, drop and roll" lesson.

"I knew everything, though," he said.

The dramatic arrival of a Huey medevac helicopter from Ft. Lewis marked the beginning of the event, stopping traffic on nearby roads as drivers watched the huge machine land behind the Public Safety Building. The crews, who help evacuate injured climbers on Mount Rainier, were on hand to answer questions as kids climbed into the cockpit.

For the first time, the 11th annual event included firefighters and units from Fire District 12 and South Prairie Fire District 20. More than 90 volunteers helped staff the event, including personnel from Bates Technical College Fire Academy and Sumner High School's fire program. Other participating agencies included the Bonney Lake Police Department, Department of Natural Resources, American Red Cross and Puget Sound Energy.

Bonney Lake resident Kathy Seaton gazed at the line-up at the helicopter.

"This is a really neat opportunity for the kids to be around," she said.

Teresa Herriman can be reached at therriman@courierherald.com.