Check It Out: How'd They Build That? Fire Truck

How'd They Build That? is a series of videos that looks at how one company builds and puts together school buses, concrete trucks, or in the case of the video I watched, fire trucks. This video looks at the Seagrave Fire Apparatus company which builds fire trucks and fire engines in Wisconsin.

Fire Truck is full of action shots of firefighters, fire trucks, and fire engines. Did you know that there is a difference between fire trucks and fire engines? I didn't before, but I do now! Fire trucks and engines are also marked on the front and side with either a T for truck or E for engine followed by the company number that the vehicle belongs too.

While it was fun watching all the trucks and seeing them get put together, the video is geared towards a 2nd-4th grade level. There is some background information about how the Seagrave company got started and I think that's where a lot of viewers might wander away from the TV. They do show some neat pictures of what fire engines used to look like.

During the video a narrator talks about the different parts and how they might be built. The video covers the cab, hoses, ladders, the base, and the inside. When the narrator isn't talking light rock guitar music plays in the background while different shots are shown. When the video transitions from one part of the truck to another (for example from ladder to cab) Fun Facts come up on the screen. One fun fact let me know that it takes about 1500 to 3500 hours to build just a single truck.

Kids are going to love watching all the different trucks and seeing what they look like as they're being built. Even if they're not interested in learning about the company that can easily be fast forwarded past it. One of my favorite parts was seeing that fire trucks don't have to be red, they can be any color.

If your child is interested in how fire trucks are put together make sure to check out How'd They Build That? Fire Truck. And be sure to look for other How'd They Build That? DVDs in the library.

How'd They Build That? Fire Truck

Check It Out blog posts take a look at DVDs in the Youth Services collection that you might not know about. Look for more Check It Out segments in the future.