UConn Fire Department Adds Excitement To Elementary School Egg Drop

The department's ladder truck added to the students' challenge of keeping a raw egg intact.

Students, teachers, and parents look on as UConn firefighters atop their ladder truck drop eggs with creative forms of protection developed by students at Goodwin Elementary School in Mansfield on Sept. 21, 2018. (Peter Morenus/UConn Photo)

Students, teachers, and parents look on as UConn firefighters atop their ladder truck drop eggs with protection created by students at Goodwin Elementary School in Mansfield on Sept. 21. (Peter Morenus/UConn Photo)

“Drop it, drop it!”

That was the plea from students at the Goodwin Elementary School in Mansfield, Connecticut, on Friday afternoon, at the school’s annual egg drop contest.

What made it even more special was the presence of the hook and ladder from the University of Connecticut fire department, along with several fire fighters.

“The kids were trying to find a way to keep a raw egg from not breaking from the top of the hook and ladder to the ground,” said Goodwin enrichment teacher Nancy Titchen.

 

The students packaged their eggs in all types of contraptions, ranging from balloons and parachutes to bubble wrap and tight cardboard boxes. Then it was up to gravity and the long fall the UConn fire department provided to see whether the eggs would crack or not.

“It’s a big event at our school, and really wouldn’t be possible without the help of the UConn fire department,” said Titchen, whose school is located just a mile from campus. The UConn fire department, which provides mutual aid to the town of Mansfield, has been part of this fun activity for about 15 years.

“We’ve tried it from the top of our building before,” Titchen added, “but it doesn’t have anywhere near the impact it does when the UConn fire department puts up their hook and ladder.”