Firefighter praised for sweet interaction with three-year-old
A cooking mishap for one Aussie family ended with a heartwarming moment shared between a firefighter and a young girl meeting her hero for the first time.
Firefighters were called to a home at Blue Haven on the NSW Central Coast on Saturday, after a fire broke out on a kitchen stove top and spread to the range hood.
They were quick to put out the blaze and just as they were about to leave, three-year-old Mia was too excited to meet her heroes that she couldn't let them leave just yet.
"Once we got there and ascertained that there was no fire spread to the roof and other areas... their daughter decided to take me away into the room to see the new books she got," Doyalson Fire and Rescue Station Manager Dirk Ziekenheiner told Yahoo News.
"Which I then obviously took the opportunity to read," he added.
A picture of the sweet moment was shared on social media, with the firefighter sat on one of Mia's pink chairs and the three-year-old keenly listening to him read the story.
Mia also impressed the firefighter with her own safety knowledge, as she shared her understanding of calling Triple-Zero in an emergency, how to escape a fire and the importance staying outside after evacuating.
"Obviously her parents did really well and schools pass on the message, and you know that safety messages are key to surviving a house fire, especially these days," Ziekenheiner said.
"If you don't know what to do, and you never plan for it, then you're probably behind the eight ball... this girl was amazing, she knew all those key messages which is really important."
Aussies praised the firefighter in the comments of the post, with many of them commenting on how "cute" the moment was.
Mia's father, James, also added that his daughter was very excited to meet her heroes despite the circumstances.
"Mia watches a lot of children's TV shows which feature firefighters so she already knows they're heroes and they rescue people," James said.
"Having now seen first-hand the great work they do, we'll continue to spread the word about fire safety and we encourage others to do the same.
"Our family never thought we'd come this close to losing our home to fire, so the key is to not be complacent about the risks."
Image: Fire and Rescue NSW / Facebook