Like many little boys, Grant Kennedy, 7, wants to be a firefighter when he grows up.
"I want to help people, and I want to work the siren," he said.
One day last spring, Grant found a firefighter's helmet in the curb on South Street near the Five Points area. Mike Moran's helmet had fallen off the fire truck on his way back to Station No. 3 at Main and 18th streets.
Right before the Christmas break, Moran made a surprise visit to Grant in his kindergarten class at St. Mary's School. He gave the boy a Station No. 3 T-shirt and hat. Grant also received a tour of the Five Points Fire Museum.
"What Grant did meant a lot to me, and I just wanted to do something for him," Moran said.
"I know I will get a lot of ribbing about this, but that's OK. I just wanted to make the little boy happy."
Moran said he didn't know the helmet was missing until the boy delivered it to the fire station.
"I was on the phone when Grant brought it in," Moran said. "I thanked him, but I didn't think he fully appreciated how grateful I was.
"I kept saying that I needed to find the boy, but kept putting it off. I did a little tracking and found the little boy and what school he attended."
Moran, 33, originally from Hammond, has been with the Lafayette Fire Department for almost five years. He came from the Frankfort Fire Department.
He said the LFD provides each firefighter with a clothing allowance, but it would have been his responsibility to replace the helmet. Grant's honesty saved Moran about $240.
Grant is one of seven children -- six boys and one girl. The youngest are 6-month-old twin boys. Their parents are Bill and Shawn Kennedy of Lafayette.
Shawn said that Grant was riding with his dad when they spotted the helmet in the street. Grant's reaction to finding the helmet was typical for a kid.
"Grant said, 'How cool is that?' But his dad said the right thing to do was to return it," she said.
Bill explained to his son that "firemen work hard and need their equipment to do their job."
"That was a learning experience for Grant," Shawn said. "Some people would have thought it was OK to keep the helmet."
Shawn said that Grant has dressed up as a firefighter on Halloween.
"Wouldn't it be neat if he grew up to be a fireman?" she said.
