Across Indiana
Burnin' Up the Charts
Clip | 6m 43sVideo has Closed Captions
Join MC Axe and the Fishers Fire Department as they help teach children about fire safety.
In Fishers, Indiana, a group of firefighters use music to teach children about fire safety. Led by Fire Chief Phil Kouwe as MC Axe, the Fire Crew visits local schools with their tunes and choreography to make fire safety lessons more memorable. Fighting fires doesn’t always mean rolling out the big red truck, sometimes it means putting on a show.
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Across Indiana is a local public television program presented by WFYI
Across Indiana
Burnin' Up the Charts
Clip | 6m 43sVideo has Closed Captions
In Fishers, Indiana, a group of firefighters use music to teach children about fire safety. Led by Fire Chief Phil Kouwe as MC Axe, the Fire Crew visits local schools with their tunes and choreography to make fire safety lessons more memorable. Fighting fires doesn’t always mean rolling out the big red truck, sometimes it means putting on a show.
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipCheck, 1...2... This fire department has all the gear necessary to go out and fight a fire.
The ladders, the hoses, the boots, and of course... some audio cassette tapes and a sound system.
1...2...3...4... Check.
Check 1...2...3... It may not seem like standard issue equipment but at the Fishers Fire Department, fighting fires doesn't always mean rolling out the big red firetruck.
Sometimes you got to put on a show.
The Fishers Fire Department used to show up at school convocations and bore the kid with lectures about fire safety.
So they searched for an innovative way to get their message across.
You have to... You have to entertain to get the message across.
Kids now are really, really into videos.
So they formed a group.
Only they practice in the firehouse instead of their parents garage.
MC Axe and the Fire Crew teach fire prevention through song and dance.
MC Axe is Phil Kouwe, the group's frontman and real life fire chief.
I think as I was growing up, my dad always taught me that, you apply any talents you have to, whatever job you take on.
And so this was a wa to try to find some way to apply some of those talents, if whatever they are.
And those talents, whatever they are, went into creating an extensiv playlist espousing fire safety.
We really promot the idea of getting low in smoke because so many kids, when there is a fire, don't know how to react.
We teach them to get low and crawl into the smoke.
You'll hear such hits as “Low Motion”.
And who could forget the ever popular “Stop, Drop, and Roll”?
Or the smash hit that was an anthem for an entire generation.
And the tune that burned up the charts.
And for all you country fans... And many, many more hit from your favorite firefighters.
What would you sa would be your most popular song?
Hands down, I think the most popular song is probably “Hot Hot Hot”.
MC Axe and the Fire Crew are... Assistant Fire Chief, Brian Lott He plays Sparky the Fire Dog.
Once you put the head on, nobody knows who you are.
and you can act as silly or goofy as you want to be.
Firefighter, Jody Lyons, is the group's choreographer.
We just put the dance what feels natural.
Try to do a lot of things that... motivate towards, firefighting.
So you're going back with your right foot.
Cha cha cha.
In with your left foot.
Cha cha cha.
And EMS Captain, Mark Wills is... “Pickhead” And thats a pickhead?
This is a pickhead axe.
I don't see the resemblance.
Well... You dont!?
Pickhead plays the axe, literally.
And then there's volunteer firefighter, Tim Birdsall A.K.A “Spanner”.
He's the brains behind MC Axe and the Fire Crew.
Actually, oddly enough, I have, received a master's degree in music from Indiana University.
And a specialty of music, was, interestingly enough, opera.
This is where the backup will come in?
Together, MC Axe and Spanner compose the songs.
It's kind of like Lennon and McCartney only with a little more asbestos And it all comes together like magic to make one heck of a show.
And you grab a whole bunch of little kids, bring them up with a bunch of dancing firemen and a giant stuffed dog.
I mean, it's a recipe for for, absolute, enjoyment.
But on the serious side, we do believe it's a very serious part of what we do.
I always use the example that that, if you could tell me, the name of the next child that was going to be killed in a fire.
I don't know the name of that child, but he's out there somewhere.
Those kids are out there somewhere.
And the best I can do i take a shotgun approach at it.
Get as much of this information to as many kids as I can in hopes that that one of them is that child that I'm talking about.
And if I reach him and prevent that fire from happening, that's twice as good as going and trying to put it out.
Pretty soon you'll be able to listen to MC Axe and the Fire Crew on CD or cassette.
They just finished recording in the studio And not to worry, a hit albums not going to change these firefighters a bit.
It's possibly... You know, our roots are always in the fire music.
We may cross over and go pop or country, but, I think our roots are alway going to be in the fire music.
And as long as they'll have us, we'll stay there.
Isnt that what Garth Brooks said?
For more Across Indiana stories visit wfyi.org/acrossindiana.
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