Fire-stations are strangely exciting places．In the normal course of events the great doors are shut, and behind them, the fire-engines wait peacefully, brightly cleaned and lovingly cared for．But the 1 the fire alarm sounds, the huge doors open immediately and the firemen come 2 ．The powerful motors spring to life and the men jump 3 as the fire-engines shoot out and flash down the street, with alarm bells ringing．In large towns, 4 are employed on a full-time basis; that is to 5 , their full-time job is fighting fire and they have no 6 work．But in many 7 places, the firemen have their own jobs to do, besides the work of fighting fire, 8 they only come to the fire-station when they are called．It is not unusual to hear the fire alarm, and seeing, seconds later, the men hurry from 9 parts of the town, in cars, on bikes, on foot, in the direction of the fire-station．
But firemen are 10 only called out to fight fires, they are also called to advise on fire prevention．They are also called to rescue cats from high trees, to free small boys 11 heads have got stuck between iron railings or to save ladies who have unexpectedly got locked in public women's． 12 , during a period of time of cold weather, little Sandra Fox decided to go to the lake in the park near her home．She walked 13 the ice to a small island in the middle and played 14 happily for a few hours in the afternoon sunshine．She did not realize that the weather had got 15 warmer, and when she wanted to go home she found that the ice had melted, and she was stuck on the island．She cried for 16 and soon drew the attention of the people in the park, and 17 called the firemen．In less than 18 , the firemen were there with a long ladder which reached across the 19 to the island．
Sandra 20 to crawl across it and reached the other side without even getting her feet wet．