With unprecedented bushfires raging around the state, children can't help but be exposed to the work of emergency service crews.
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And while it can be scary and confusing to see real emergencies in action, a new exhibit at the University of Wollongong's Early Start Discovery Space is helping kids of all ages to understand the role of police, fire crews, paramedics and the SES during these times.
The centre's manager of experiences, Martha Johnson said the exhibit was fun and engaging, but also included practical tips that both children and adults can take away.
As well as dress-ups and role play - and a huge, noisy emergency vehicle to drive - it includes a play kitchen where kids can find out what to do during a house fire, and an ambulance station where they can practice bandaging and Triple-0 calls.
For the SES, kids can cut down logs and play with a flood level simulator, and in the police section they can flip through case files, get a mug shot and be fingerprinted.
We've also been talking about the need to know their phone number, know their address, so to be able to do that through play will really help.
"We try with all our exhibits to make them suitable for kids from birth to 10," Ms Johnson said.
"Our very youngest visitors can play with mirrors on the wheels or the sounds and lights, and as you get a little older they can get dressed up and as they get older they can take on the higher level concepts."
"We know that kids can actually take on a lot of information, and in many cases they can actually be the person in the house who knows what to do in an emergency."
For five-year-old Hamish Grose, the new exhibition was a chance to test out his already extensive knowledge of the emergency services.
His mum, Emily, said her sons had shown a lot of interest in role-playing as emergency services workers, especially with the focus on firefighters in the news.
"We've also been talking about the need to know their phone number, know their address, so to be able to do that through play will really help," she said.
"If there is an actual emergency, it's good for them to know the way an ambulance looks and a bit about different scenarios."
The exhibition is now open at the UOW children's museum, located at the western end of the main Gwynneville campus.