For most preschoolers, nothing could beat meeting a real live superhero. But a special event at Paul Banks Elementary School on Sept. 30 came pretty close: As part of a 20-year partnership about fire safety education, the Homer Volunteer Firefighters paid a visit to Emily Priest and Mindy Hunter’s pre-K classes.

“I didn’t know you were firefighters! I thought you were regular people!” exclaimed 4-year-old Konrad Overholt upon their arrival.

The visitors talked to kids about smoke detectors and how to respond to a firefighter in an emergency situation. Firefighter Elaine Grabowski picked up 4-year-old Georgie Farren to demonstrate a fireman’s carry. She and her partner also passed along some tips: Crawl low under smoke, and stop, drop, and roll if your clothes catch fire.

After the presentation, students got to ask questions. Among the queries presented to the volunteers: Do you get scared? Does dog pee put out fire? Do you have kids?

“Is there any spotted puppies at the fire station or in your truck?” asked one student hopefully.

The preschoolers got a chance to look around the fire engine for themselves. While they didn’t find any dalmations, they did love trying on the firefighters’ headsets.