The tires on the trucks were bigger than them.

Students in Highlands School District’s prekindergarten program got out of school on a warm and sunny Thursday to visit the Highland Hose fire hall in Tarentum.

Chief Terry Chambon greeted visiting classes in the morning and afternoon.

About 34 kids between ages 3 and 5 visited in the morning, according to preschool teacher Carly Hines said.

During their visit, Chambon talked about fire safety, the importance of knowing their home address, how to call 911 and what to do during a fire.

The children also got a tour of the fire hall and an up-close look at the fire trucks, including the department’s 1931 Ahrens Fox, which still works, and its “big one,” a 2003 E-One ladder.

They also got a demonstration of the old Gamwell system — boxes that used to be located on utility poles around the borough that people could use to alert firefighters to a fire. They went out of service in 1975, Chambon said.

Highland Hose has 18 active volunteer firefighters, Chambon said.

“Maybe some day we’ll get a few to be firefighters for us,” he said of the children who visited. “We have to start somewhere.”

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