Where Am I?

All these photos are related to the same activity. Can you what it is? What are the objects? We've arranged them so the hardest ones are at the top. They get easier as you go along. Once you know the answer (no peeking at Page 9!), try it on a friend. Cover up some of the photos on the page. How many do you have to reveal before your friend solves the mystery?

Here You Are, That's What It Is

TOP ROW: These wrenches are used to open fire hydrants. First, the big cap on the side of the hydrant is removed. A large hose is run from the pump truck to the hydrant. Once the connection has been made, a special magnetic wrench (the top one) is used to turn the "stem" atop the hydrant to start water flowing. (Hoses attached to the pumper fight the fire. The pumper sucks water from the hydrant and shoots it through the hoses at high pressure.) The patterned-steel plating on fire trucks provides traction for firefighters' boots and protects the truck from damage.

MIDDLE: A firefighter's helmet, seen from the top (left). The loops are a hydrant hose mounted on the front of the pumper (called an "engine").

BOTTOM: The dials (left photo) measure water pressure on the pump truck. The big dials show hydrant pressure. Smaller dials monitor pressure to the hoses. Handles (called "gates") at the bottom control water flow. The middle photo shows the siren on the front of a ladder truck. Firefighters' boots and waterproof pants are at the ready (right). If a call comes in, you step in your boots, pull up your pants, and go!