VIDEO/PHOTOS: The Children’s Museum of La Crosse is giving kids a chance to step into the boots of real-life heroes with a new permanent exhibit called Fire Station Number Four and a Half. The two-story installation features crawl tunnels, an interactive HVAC wall, air-powered tubes and even a retired fire truck once used by the La Crosse Fire Department.
Children can dress up in firefighter gear, explore the bunkhouse and learn about emergency response through hands-on play. “Our fire truck has been here since the beginning. It’s one of our most popular exhibits,” Children’s Museum of La Crosse Executive Director Ann Christianson said. “So it just simply made sense to expand on that experience.”
The firehouse exhibit is more than just fun. Staff and local firefighters say it’s designed to help spark early conversations about fire safety. “We like to instill safety messaging from a young age,” City of La Crosse Firefighter Grace Babb said. “We start educating from—well, we like to say—‘womb to tomb.’ So even if they’re like a two-year-old, we’re just starting to get them exposed to some of that messaging so they can start thinking about it.”
“I learned that firefighters always help people when they’re in danger,” said seven-year-old Dian. “And they’re really kind and help people.” The exhibit was made possible through support from Trane Technologies and the La Crosse Area Builders Association.
