Reportage De Tump – Ool · 30 May 2026
Lentefestival CK-Herten 2026
On 30 May 2026, De Tump in Ool was full of emergency services: fire brigade, ambulance, police and lifeguards, all ready to show children what their work looks like in real life. An afternoon of looking, trying and laughing, organised by Comité Kinderfeesten Herten.
The grass fills up: the fire brigade, ambulance, police and lifeguards stand ready on the site, and the first children walk around to see everything up close. It is the equipment that draws the eyes most: the cabins, the engine, the hoses across the grass.
Then comes the trying. A firefighter holds the hose while a child gets to hold the nozzle, and there is loud laughter at the force of the water. Anyone who dares may sit on the police motorcycle for a moment; an officer speaks through a loudspeaker and children in police vests do exercises on the grass.
The rescue boat is the attraction of the afternoon. Children climb up, may take the wheel and work the radio, and a toddler gets to sit behind the wheel of the lifeguard vehicle. Meanwhile a police officer briefly holds a baby in his arms. In between, there is time for an ice cream and a bounce on the bouncy castle.
And then the day is over. The nozzle still lies in the grass, the children are still full of enthusiasm, and an officer chats calmly with everyone passing by while putting a stick-on tattoo on a child's arm. Amid the bustle there are the portraits that sum up the day: a firefighter with a child, an officer standing between the vehicle and its door, speaking through the loudspeaker. Educational above all — and an afternoon for laughing along.
The emergency services
The emergency services stand ready on the grass.
The afternoon starts with everything that is there that day. The fire brigade, ambulance, police and lifeguards stand ready on the grass. It is the equipment that draws the attention: children walk along the vehicles, peer into the cabins and grab the hose.
Practising
Everyone practises with water and sound.
Next comes feeling how it works. A firefighter holds the hose while a child gets to hold the nozzle, and there is laughter at the force of the water. Further on, children may sit on the police motorcycle, an officer speaks texts through a loudspeaker, and children in police vests do exercises on the grass.
Going up, and in between
Up in the rescue boat, and an ice cream in between.
The lifeguards' rescue boat is the attraction of the afternoon. Children climb up, may take the wheel and the radio, and a toddler gets to sit behind the wheel of the lifeguard vehicle. Meanwhile a police officer briefly takes a baby in his arms. Elsewhere there is time for a bouncy castle, an ice cream and something to eat.
The afternoon winds down
The day ends where it began.
The day ends the way it began: with the fire engine in the grass, children still full of enthusiasm and a police officer calmly talking with everyone while putting a stick-on tattoo on a child's arm. Amid the bustle there are also the portraits that tell the story of the day — a firefighter with a child, an officer standing between the vehicle and its door, speaking texts through the loudspeaker.
