VIDEO: Toddler helps Fresno firemen responding to call in neighborhood

FRESNO, Calif. -- Two-year-old Jackson McNary got the chance to help out the Fresno Fire Department as they were responding to a burning shed on Friday.

"I saw this young firefighter who was about 3 feet tall, dressed in full turnouts with a red plastic helmet. I didn't recognize this firefighter, I thought he must be a rookie in our department," said Battalion Chief Thomas Cope.

He's not quite old enough yet, but Judy McNary, his grandmother, says Jackson loves firefighters and put on his Halloween costume and came outside to check out the action.

"He brought his plastic axe and his whistle and his fake microphone and he came running down. He wanted to see what the fireman was doing and I told them he would help," McNary said.

Fresno Fire took them up on that offer.

"It was wonderful. It was great to see the firemen interact with him and be kind to him," McNary said.

Jackson still has a few more years before he can be hired by the department, but =Cope says it's moments like this that can spark interest and leave a lasting impact.

"Most of us are moms and dads, of course, and this tugs at the Nomex heartstrings, so to speak, but it's also an important part of what we do," Cope said. "We are role models for little boys and girls."