24 | OCTOBER 17 • 2019 

Jews in the D

I

n November of 2016, Rachel and 
Steve Robinson purchased a home 
for their family in Birmingham 
that needed to be demolished. But 
before they tore down their house, their 
twin sons, Jacob and Jonah, decided it 
was time to call the Birmingham Fire 
Department. 
With their mother’
s encouragement, 
the boys contacted the fire department 
to see if they needed homes to practice 
their skills, and the fire department 
immediately seized this opportunity.
For three days, firefighters used the 
Robinson’
s home to portray real-life 
scenarios by using artificial smoke and 
mannequins posing as victims, which 
enabled them to constitute game plans 
for an actual fire. 
Jacob and Jonah were invited to 
enter their house with the firefighters 
while it was filled with artificial smoke 
to learn more about fire safety, allow-
ing them to witness firsthand what 
firefighters do daily.

“It was such a cool and fun expe-
rience to share with my family,
” 
Jacob said. “We got to see them 
break in windows, fill the house 
with smoke, their gear and the 
firetrucks.
”
Although this was a great 
experience for both the Robinson 
family and the firefighters, the 
fire department informed the 
boys that most of their rookies 
only learn in their training tower 
and not in actual houses. 
“The training tower is great, but 
you can only do so many scenarios,
” 
Birmingham Fire Department Chief Paul 
Wells said. “It’
s always good to have a 
fresh, new building — especially a resi-
dential building — where we don’
t know 
the layout.
”
After their new home was finished, 
the now 16-year-old twins decided to 
immerse themselves in this cause and 
advocate the need for houses to aid the 
firefighters in training techniques. 
“We felt that it was such a fun experi-
ence that benefited our local fire depart-
ment, we wanted more people to know 
about this opportunity,
” Jacob said. 
Jacob and Jonah worked alongside one 
of the Birmingham Fire Department’
s 
captains, Tom Hughes, who has been 
instrumental in implementing the pro-
gram. 
The boys also designed flyers detailing 
what the firefighters would be practic-
ing in each house and how people can 
donate their home.
Along with aiding their local fire-
fighters, the twins are active in the Jewish 

community. They belong to Temple 
Israel and have been volunteering at Yad 
Ezra since they were old enough to walk.
“
A big part of Judaism is the sense of 
community,
” Jacob said. “We are always 
connected, and this is our community. I 
feel like connecting people with the fire 
department and allowing others to see 
what they do allows us to bond more as a 
community and ultimately creates a more 
effective environment.
”
Since the boys started handing out 
flyers to local businesses and architects, 
the fire department has now been able to 
practice in a second home. 
“It’
s great to see two young boys have 
this idea,
” Wells said. “I’
m looking for-
ward to seeing more homes come in to 
help us out.
”
Jacob and Jonah aim to grow their 
campaign and hope people in their com-
munity will think twice before demolish-
ing their home.
“It’
s nice to know we’
re helping the 
people who help us,” Jonah said. “It’
s a 
great cause and I’
m glad to be a part of 
it.” 

A Gift for 
Firefighters

Brothers spread the word on helping 
provide homes for fi
 re-fi
 ghting training.

CORRIE COLF STAFF WRITER

CORRIE COLF

CORRIE COLF

firefighters do daily.
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CORRIE COLF

COURTESY OF THE ROBINSONS

The boys created a flyer 
to help spread the word.

TOP: Jonah and Jacob Robinson and Fire Chief Paul 
Wells. BOTTOM: The Birmingham Fire Department 
got to train on the Robinsons’
 soon-to-be-demolished 
Birmingham home in 2016.

