Aiden's Fireman Birthday Party at the Bukit Jelutong Fire Station

You can also read a condensed version of the party here and my DIY efforts here.

I am so so sorry for this long overdue post. Too many blogposts to write, so little time! But I've been getting so many questions about Aiden's fireman party via comments and emails, that I vowed to eventually make this post a reality. Anyway, it's a good excuse to finally use the photos from our official photographer. As usual, vendor credits at the end of the blogpost! 

Before planning a fireman party at the fire station, the first thing you have to do is to contact your local fire station about their availability. We wrote an official letter two months in advance (include your party details, expected number of guests, and your contact details), then we went by the station to drop it off. It was also an excellent opportunity to get to know the Ketua Balai and their awesome crew. They were very helpful; the Ketua Operasi even offered Hubby his official jacket to compliment the outfit we were wearing the day of the party.

Posing with one of Bukit Jelutong's fire engines.

Each balai bomba will have different sets of conditions. Some will state a predefined monetary sum to be contributed to their Sports Club. Some will not ask for anything, so it is up to you if you want to contribute anything. (I suggest you do, as a reward of their hard work and dedication!) Some fire stations will also have tables and chairs for you to borrow so you don't have to bring your own. Ours also had a sound system, which we rented from them.

Once you have your date confirmed, you can now start planning for your party! Most of our party decorations, specifically the fireman helmets, the boys' fireman uniform, and fire extinguisher party favors were ordered from Taobao. Since I can't read Chinese, I engaged a local Malaysian agent to order it on my behalf. If you are ordering bulky items, please order at least three to four months in advance so you can opt for sea shipping. Air shipping will cost you a bomb!! (We did however order the fireman outfit via air shipping as it was a last minute order but thankfully lightweight.)

These fire extinguishers came in many sizes and purpose. The ones in the foregrounds are also squirt water guns.

Locally, I purchased the fire trucks on the dessert table, and the mini fire engines on top of each party favor box, from GM Klang. I received a lot of questions on the latter - the fire engines were sold in a pack of 8 for about RM20. The black boxes were also from GM Klang. I stuck the fire engines onto the box using double sided tape to the wheels.

Each little guest brought a piece of their fire station experience home.

Next up, the dessert table. I went with a rustic theme, hence the use of crates. The fire station graciously allowed us to use one of their fire engines as part of the dessert table. I also hired someone to design a suitable canvas backdrop to match the rustic theme. The A2 poster required very little effort - with my very limited PicMonkey skills, I found an image online and edited it to fit.

It was designed as a party favour tag but I re-purposed it into a thank you poster instead.

All of the baked goodies on the table were homemade, except for the cake pops. I made the birthday cake, cupcakes, fireman themed cookies, macarons, jello and chocolate covered Oreos personalized with edible image. As for store bought candy, I purchased black sixlets from Spotlight, gum balls, chocolate bars and marshmallow from our local candy shop, and red licorice from Candylicious in Singapore.

Homemade fondant cookies. I used a silicone chocolate mould for some of the 3D shapes on the top of the cookie. 

Sixlets, jello, gumballs and macarons. Fire engines from GM Klang (big ~RM9 and small ~RM3.50).

Licorice fire hoses.

We spent all night baking this fire truck shaped cake (with a crooked ladder *giggles*) but it will never beat the Millennium Falcon cake from last year.

Printed cupcake toppers on edible image paper, and used it as Oreo chocolate toppers.

Cute cake pops!

Personalized candy bars. Those curvy edges were such a pain to cut!

Re-purposed the invite design into table posters. These fire extinguishers also double up as a hand fan. They were sold at ~RM5.50 in GM Klang so I borong them all, but I'm sure Taobao offers something similar!

I also dedicated a section of the dessert table for non-edible goodies. Three crates were used to display the mini fire extinguishers (which doubles up as a water gun), fire extinguisher fans, fireman helmets, crayons (I stuffed some crayons in clear plastic and sealed it with a personalized topper) and bubbles (I personalized a wrapper to fit the size of the bottle and printed it onto sticker paper). The kids had a frenzy choosing goodies for themselves!

The bottom crates were dedicated to non-edible goodies. Purchased the 'apartment on fire' standee from a fellow DIY mum on Facebook (which is on sale now if anyone is interested).

Can you see the personalized bubble bottles and crayon packets from this angle? The fire extinguishers just beside the letter A are squirt water guns, ~RM2 per piece. Excellent favours for the kids!

The happy birthday boy in his handsome fireman outfit.

The Bukit Jelutong fire station provided some kid-sized uniforms for our little guests and were gracious enough to offer fun and games for everyone - a ride around the station in the fire engine, giant snakes and ladders game and water play for the kids, and a fire extinguisher demonstration for the adults. (Told you they're an awesome crew!) Do note that the heroic fire fighters will have to attend to emergencies as usual, so keep in mind that they may leave your party at the sound of the alarm. (The emcee for our party turned out to be the fire engine driver! Best to have a family member double up as emcee in case this happens.)

Family photo. Hubby and I wore Kadet Bomba t-shirts (available at most school uniform shops) to match the theme.

Thank you Bukit Jelutong fire station for allowing us to use one of your fire engines as part of our backdrop!

Cake cutting session.

Ian stealing his brother's thunder. Both our boys cutting the cake together. *awww*

The party emcee interviewing the birthday boy.

Ian got interviewed too!

Playing snakes and ladders.

Huge dice!

The fire engine went around the streets at least ten rounds (or more)! The dedicated fire fighters made sure everyone got a turn, and even assisted the kids in and out of the truck. (I am still in awe over their commitment to the party!) Even the parents took the opportunity to get on this once in a lifetime experience. (I remembered my first time at the Jelatek station - hearing the sirens wail above me, truck going at top speed, was absolutely surreal!)

Kids excitedly boarding the fire engine.

The birthday boy was given the best seat in the house.

Happy 8th birthday, Aiden!

Everyone wanted to ride in the front seat!

The water play was extremely fun for the kids. The firefighters turned on the sprinkler on a water tank and left the kids to it. Good thing I left a note in the invitation card for the kids to bring a towel and a spare set of clothes. The kids were ingenious - they used their fireman helmets to collect water, and then splashed each other with it.

I think we emptied the entire (clean) water tank!

The Bomba Kecil outfit provided by the fire station - fire helmet, jacket and even boots!

Aiden having the time of his life! Mummy usually never condones playing in the rain.

Cheerful faces everywhere.

Collecting water in the fire helmet and then splashing others.

The parents on the other hand were entertained by the very dedicated fireman crew. They arranged for a demonstration on how to use a fire extinguisher. They then dressed our guests in uniforms and helmets, and allowed them a chance to try a hand at putting out real fire! (We paid for gasoline and fire extinguisher refills for this activity.)

Enthusiastic parents who joined in the educational session. 

Kudos to the Bukit Jelutong fire station crew for a job well done.

Hands on experience with the fire extinguisher..

Lastly, we ended the event by focusing the last of the kids' energy on the piñata. As usual, we did the piñata ourselves - as we refuse to pay a bomb for something that will ultimately be destroyed anyway. Using a box, we sculpted it to the shape of a fire engine. You can read more about the DIY piñata here.

The pinata - which was torn into pieces at the end of the party. Love the stack of fire helmets just beside it! (Helmets were ~RM8 each via a group buy on Facebook.)

Birthday boy got the first hit.

Happy 8th birthday, Aiden Irfan. We hope you had a tremendous time at your party! Mummy, Daddy and Ian loves you soooooo much. We wish you nothing but the happiest and the brightest future, InsyaAllah.

P.S: Most of Aiden's friends came with their parents, most of whom I met for the very first time. Before they left most of them asked me the same question, "Husband you kerja bomba ke?" *chuckles*

Abang Bomba, I love you! *giggles*

Vendor credits and links:

• Event photography by Photo Havens.
• Adorable fire engine cake pops by Aly.Bakes.
• Printables from How to Nest for Less. (They're free!) I also repurposed their printables into matching food tags, personalized bubble bottle stickers and crayon toppers.
• A2 poster printable from Lambers Lately.
• Firetruck, fireman, badge and flames printable cliparts (used around the dessert table) from Google Images. 
• Colouring page image from Bebo Pandco.
• Silicone chocolate mould from Lazada.
• Fire extinguisher water gun and fan, fireman helmets, fireman uniform from Taobao.
• Mini fire engine (for goody bag) and fire trucks on dessert table from GM Klang.
• Adult Kadet Bomba uniform from Outpost Uniform, One Utama. Also available from most uniform shops in town.