Funny Questions to Ask a Firefighter

Press Print this list for twelve funny questions for a firefighter, each with a line to write on.

  1. What do you do when the alarm rings while you are in the shower?
  2. What happens to your boots on the hottest day of summer?
  3. What do you say when a child asks to turn on the siren?
  4. What is the silliest rule the crew has made for itself?
  5. Do firefighters still slide down a pole?
  6. Which question do strangers ask the moment they hear you fight fires?
  7. Has anyone really called you about a cat in a tree?
  8. If the engine had a personality, what would it be?
  9. How do you greet children who wave at the engine?
  10. Does the station have a pet, a mascot or a lucky object?
  11. How fast can you get dressed, and have you ever raced anyone?
  12. What is the worst smell at the station that is not smoke?

How it works

These funny questions to ask a firefighter start with the light ones: the cat in the tree, the pole, the station's best cook. Five more groups cover the shift, the engine, a call, training and a class visit.

Read the full guide

Start funny, then ask about the job

The first sheet is twelve of the Funny ones, and Pick 12 new questions deals twelve more. For the working day, change the box under the button to The engine and the gear or A call from start to finish. Print this list puts a line to write on under every question.

Fun questions to ask a firefighter on a class visit

For a class visit holds questions a child can ask aloud: why the coat has shiny stripes, how loud the siren is inside the engine. The example answers are invented, and they print on a last page you can leave out.

Questions and answers

What are funny questions to ask a fireman?

Ask about station life: who is banned from the kitchen, what happens when the alarm rings during a shower, whether anyone has really called about a cat in a tree. The answers are usually stories.

What can kids ask a firefighter?

Things they can see and hear: the helmet, the stripes on the coat, the siren. For a class visit holds those questions, and none asks about injuries or frightening calls.

Do fire engines and ladder trucks do different jobs?

In some departments, yes: an engine carries firefighters, water and hose, and a ladder truck carries the long extendable ladder. The names vary by place, so one question asks how the firefighter's own crew uses them.

What does this sheet leave out?

Questions about deaths, injuries and the worst call a firefighter has seen. Every question is about the job, the gear, the station or the crew, and a firefighter may pass on any of them.

All 90 questions

Funny ones 25

  • Do firefighters still slide down a pole? Our station has one floor, so we just walk fast.
  • Does the station have a pet, a mascot or a lucky object? A rubber duck rides on the dashboard.
  • Has anyone really called you about a cat in a tree? Once. The cat came down by itself while we set up the ladder.
  • How do you greet children who wave at the engine? A honk, and the biggest wave I have.
  • How fast can you get dressed, and have you ever raced anyone? Fast enough to beat my kids every morning.
  • If the engine had a personality, what would it be? A proud old horse that hates puddles.
  • What do you do when the alarm rings while you are in the shower? Rinse fast. Very fast.
  • What do you say when a child asks to turn on the siren? "Cover your ears first." Then yes, once.
  • What does the crew watch on the station television, and who holds the remote? Cooking contests. We shout advice at the screen.
  • What gets argued about most at the station's kitchen table? Whether chili has beans in it.
  • What happens to your boots on the hottest day of summer? They turn into soup.
  • What happens with the hose on a hot day when the chief is not looking? The newest one ends up soaked.
  • What is the funniest thank-you gift the crew has been given? A cake shaped like a fire hydrant.
  • What is the oddest thing the crew has been asked to get down from somewhere? A kite. Then the same kite, an hour later.
  • What is the silliest rule the crew has made for itself? The last one to the table tells a joke.
  • What is the strangest thing that has set off an alarm? Burnt toast. It is nearly always toast.
  • What is the worst smell at the station that is not smoke? A gym bag that nobody will claim.
  • What running gag would a visitor to the station not understand? Whoever forgets to refill the coffee washes the engine.
  • Which chore at the station does everybody try to dodge? Scrubbing the kitchen floor.
  • Which piece of your gear makes the funniest noise? My boots on a wet floor. They quack.
  • Which question do strangers ask the moment they hear you fight fires? Whether we have a spotted dog. We have a ficus.
  • Which song gets sung in the engine on the way back to the station? Whatever the driver picks. Nobody else gets a vote.
  • Who is the best cook at the station, and who is banned from the kitchen? Our driver makes chili. I am only allowed to chop.
  • Who snores the loudest in the bunk room? I am told it is me. I have never heard it.
  • Whose turn is it to wash the engine, and who says it is never theirs? Mine, apparently. It is always mine.

The station and the shift 12

  • How do you get any sleep when a call might come? Lightly, with my boots beside the bunk.
  • How long is one shift, and where do you sleep? A day and a night. There is a bunk room upstairs.
  • How many people ride on your engine, and what does each one do? Four on ours, each with a seat and a job.
  • What do you do between calls? Train, clean, check gear, and try to finish lunch.
  • What does the station sound like when a call comes in? Tones on the speaker, then a voice with the address.
  • What hangs on the station wall that visitors always ask about? Old helmets from the crews before us.
  • What happens at the station when one crew hands over to the next? A quick talk over coffee about what the last day held.
  • What happens to a meal when the alarm goes off halfway through? It waits. We have eaten many cold dinners.
  • Where does each crew member run when the tones sound? Driver to the wheel, officer to the map, the rest to our gear.
  • Which holiday have you spent at the station, and what did the crew do? Thanksgiving. Our families brought pies.
  • Which room in the station is the busiest? The kitchen. Always the kitchen.
  • Who decides what is for dinner at the station? Whoever is cooking. Everyone else does dishes.

The engine and the gear 14

  • How do you breathe inside a smoky building? Air from a tank on my back, through a face mask.
  • How do you keep the hoses from tangling? They are folded flat in layers so they pull out straight.
  • How does your gear get clean after a smoky call? It goes in a big washer at the station and hangs to dry.
  • On your crew, what is the difference between the engine and the ladder truck? Our engine carries water and hose. The truck carries the long ladder.
  • What color are your department's engines, and who chose it? Red, as far back as anyone remembers.
  • What do you check on the engine at the start of every shift? Lights, siren, water level and every cabinet door.
  • What does the driver have to know that the rest of the crew does not? Every street, and how to run the pump.
  • What is in your pockets when you are in full gear? Gloves, a flashlight, door wedges and a pencil.
  • What is kept in the cabinets along the side of the engine? Hose fittings, saws, fans and a lot of rope.
  • What is the heaviest thing you carry up a staircase? A rolled hose on one shoulder.
  • Where does the water come from once the tank is empty? A hydrant, through a hose as wide as my arm.
  • Which part of the uniform felt strangest the first time you wore it? The mask. It changes how everything sounds.
  • Which seat on the engine is yours, and what is stored beside it? Behind the driver. My air tank sits in the seat back.
  • Which tool on the engine do you use most? An axe and a pry bar, carried as a pair.

A call from start to finish 13

  • How do you find your way through a room full of smoke? One hand on the wall, and I count the doors.
  • How do you talk to each other when it is too loud to hear? Radio, hand signals and a tap on the shoulder.
  • How does the crew decide where to park the engine? Just past the building, so the ladder truck gets the front.
  • What do you do first when you get back to the station? Load clean hose so the engine is ready to go again.
  • What do you look at first when you pull up? The whole building, from the street, before anyone moves.
  • What does a false alarm look like from your side? A fast drive, a careful look around and a friendly chat.
  • What does the crew talk about on the way to a call? Who does what when we arrive. Then it goes quiet.
  • What is left to do once the fire is out? We look for hidden hot spots, then roll up a lot of hose.
  • What is the first thing you are told when a call comes in? The address and the kind of call.
  • What is the most unusual call you have been sent to? A swan sitting in the middle of the road.
  • Which calls come in most often that are not fires? Alarms with no fire, and people locked out.
  • Who decides the crew can leave a scene? The officer in charge, on the radio. Then we refill the tank.
  • Who is in charge when several crews arrive, and how does everyone know? The first officer there, by radio, until a chief arrives.

Training 12

  • How do you learn the streets of your area? We drive them, and we quiz each other with a map.
  • How do you practice for something you hope never happens? In a training building that fills with stage smoke.
  • How often does your crew train together? Nearly every shift, even after years.
  • What did an older firefighter teach you in your first month? Put everything back exactly where you found it.
  • What tests did you have to pass to join? A written test, a fitness course and an interview.
  • What was the hardest day of your training? Climbing a tower in full gear, then doing it again.
  • What would a new recruit be surprised to find out on day one? How much of the job is cleaning.
  • Where does math turn up on a fire engine? At the pump. Pressure is all numbers.
  • Which knot do you tie most, and can you show me? A figure eight. I can tie it with gloves on.
  • Which skill do you still time yourself on? Putting on my gear with a stopwatch running.
  • Which skills came first in your training? Hose, ladders, knots, and how to wear the air tank.
  • Which training exercise turns into a contest? Ladder raises against the clock.

For a class visit 14

  • At our age, did you already want to ride a fire engine? Yes. That, or dig up dinosaurs.
  • Can girls and boys both be firefighters? Yes. Our crew has both.
  • How do you get the engine so shiny? Soap, sponges and a long hose, most days.
  • How loud is the siren from inside the engine? Loud enough that we wear headsets to talk.
  • How many stairs can you climb in your gear? More than I would like. We practice in a tower.
  • What do you wear at the station when there is no fire? A dark shirt, dark pants and black boots.
  • What does the fire station do for the neighborhood when nothing is burning? Visits like this one, and checking hydrants.
  • What does your helmet feel like, and may we look inside it? Heavy, with padding and a headband inside.
  • What is the kindest thing you have seen a teammate do? Sit on a curb with a worried dog until its owner came home.
  • What is your favorite thing about the fire engine? The air horn.
  • What should we look for the next time a fire engine drives past? The number on the door. Ours is a four.
  • What would you like our class to remember about firefighters? That we are friendly, even in the mask.
  • When do you use reading and math at a fire? Reading maps and labels, and adding up hose lengths.
  • Why does your coat have shiny stripes? So the crew can see me in the dark and in smoke.
How this list was compiled

Written for this site on 2026-10-03 by the Game Night Generator editors: 90 questions to ask a firefighter, in 6 groups, each with one invented example answer that describes no real crew. Own work; these are our suggestions and nothing was copied from another site. No question asks about a death, an injury or a frightening call, and no line gives fire safety advice. Three example answers lean on general facts, read on 2026-10-03 at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_engine: a fire engine carries firefighters, water and hose; a ladder truck (an aerial apparatus) carries the extendable ladder; a self-contained breathing apparatus is standard equipment. The same article says some departments use engine and truck for separate vehicles and others for the same one, so the question asks about the firefighter's own crew. Licence: own work