Every year, Peachland firefighters decorate their firetrucks and drive around the town on Christmas Eve.
Image Credit: FACEBOOK/Peachland Fire and Rescue Service
December 24, 2020 - 3:30 PM
For the last 45 years, Peachland firefighters have decorated their firetrucks and driven around the community on Christmas Eve in the spirit of the holidays. This year they’re continuing that tradition, with a few COVID-19 restrictions in place.
Fire chief Dennis Craig said some firefighters have been at the hall since 8 a.m. today, Dec. 24, decorating their trucks for the event.
The five trucks in the fleet will drive through every public neighbourhood for its roughly 5,000 residents for the 46th time.
Don Wilson, the former fire chief who started the tradition with just his duty officer truck and some simple lights, will be back and in charge of the music this year.
“It’s always ever-changing but it’s definitely something we hold very proud to ourselves,” Craig said.
Christmas music will blare through the siren speakers starting at 6 p.m. today. The firefighters will finish the night at 9 p.m. and are asking residents to watch from a safe distance due to COVID-19.
Residents take to social media and the firefighters see people live-streaming to relatives across the country and world as they drive by, Craig said.
“There was once a baby watching us go by who is now an adult and we get that a lot, that’s some of the memorable stuff, people recount seeing it as a child and are now showing their kids. It’s a very long-standing tradition,” he said.
The fire trucks are fully functional with the lights, and in the past, they have responded to a car accident and medical calls during the drive-by.
“We’ve shown up at a car accident with the Christmas lights on, which is a little bit of a different take, but all our trucks are still in service,” he said.
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