GLENDALE, AZ — Micah Watson loves everything about firefighters. At three years old, he already knows he wants to be one when he grows up. He even has all his gear ready – turnouts, water hose, helmet. So, when a fire started at a home in his neighborhood and Glendale firefighters rushed to the scene, Micah was there, dressed and ready to go.
“He just ran to get his suit. He said, ‘it’s time to suit up,’ and put on his suit. He wanted to run to the fire, but she had to stop him,” says Jeremiah Watson, Micah’s dad.
His fascination with firefighting started when he was very young after watching a YouTube video. “He just acts it out. He acts like he’s on a mission, suiting up, grabbing his little ax, and pretending like he’s putting out fires around the house,” his mother told ABC15.
It didn’t take long before the firefighters on Micah’s street noticed him. “He had all his turnout gear on and he was going through all the motions and emulating everything we were doing on the fire ground. We thought it was super cute,” Captain John Good said.
That was the beginning of an instant friendship. After the fire was put out and the emergency over, the captain came back and invited Micah to their fire station and see what it’s really like being a firefighter.
ABC15 was there when Micah toured the station. He tried on the actual turnouts, climbed on the ladder truck and spraying water. The experience cemented his friendship with these first responders.
“We don’t see a lot of innocence anymore. So, whenever we have an opportunity to interact with young kids like that, it’s great,” Captain Good said.
For Micah, it made him want to be a firefighter even more. Now, he’s got even bigger plans for his future.
“I just want a giant fire truck and a fire pole.”