Fire Departments Continue Holiday Traditions Across the U.S.

The holidays are a time of year where unity is valued more than anything else. It’s a time where people can put down their differences, be together and just be present. It’s a time where holiday lights, exchanging gifts, warm hot chocolate, and the thought of Saint Nick are on many minds.

Firehouses are no exception to the treats and commodities that come along with the holidays. In fact, it’s a time where firehouses can bring in their families and communities to curate the harmony and solidarity between firefighters and the people who they serve.

We will take a dive into each region of the United States and see some of the fire service holiday traditions. There’s nothing short of pure bliss, rooted tradition, and growing communities within these spotlighted stations.

San Francisco: Station holiday decoration competition 

The tradition for the San Francisco Fire Department did not start until the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Minds hit the table for brainstorming to think of a way to engage the community while staying safe. The answer happened to be a fire station decoration competition.

“If we get to know our neighbors, that makes the community stronger and the longer the community will thrive through anything," Capt. Jonathan Baxter told Firehouse. "I think that's very reflective of San Francisco, specifically during the pandemic, because we already have a strong community and this is an effort to make it even stronger."

This is the fourth year of the “San Francisco Fire Stations Community Holiday Decoration Competition.” Each fire station around the city can enter the competition, being judged on the visuals of their station decorations, their involvement with the community, a community engagement event, and the local shops they use to take part in the event.

The stations partner up with the Los Bomberos Employee Group and the San Francisco Fire Credit Union to award the top four stations. The 2023 awards will range anywhere from $500 to $2,000 with those being donated to a charity chosen by the winning stations.

According to Baxter, typically there are about 10 entries every year. However, this doesn’t relay the full involvement of all the stations. Some stations won’t enter themselves into the competition, therefore a rule is in place that a community member can nominate their station simply by sending an email to the city.

Last year the winner was Station 39, who is proactive this year by already having handed out flyers to join them for their community event. Additionally last year, Station 38 went out and knocked on all of their neighbors’ doors to offer to help put up lights in order to win the competition. Regardless of beliefs, they were able to get the entire city block to have lights on their houses.

“That is an example of what we were asking, is the community to simply go knock on the door and say I'm your neighbor, rather than your fire station. You remember that the local firefighters were welcoming and nice. I'm going to go ask them a question,” Baxter said. “I have a concern. Our firefighters, same thing, we have a question that we know that one of our neighbors may have the answer to then let's go ask them. Right now, we don't see that too often.”

The idea behind the competition is to bring everyone together as one, making things more transparent and truly understanding where everyone is coming from. For next year, there are plans to have 100 cubic yards of snow coming in that will be going to Pier 27 from the Local 798 employee group.

“A lot of people who don't live in a large city probably can't conceive this, but we have youth in our city who has never physically seen real snow or touched real snow. This is an opportunity to make that happen and really bring the magic of the holidays to just one person is the goal but obviously there'll be many more than that,” Baxter said.

Hurricane Ian brings new tradition to Fort Myers Beach

Sadly, some traditions have come to an end due to severe weather around the nation. One of those traditions belonged to the Fort Myers Beach, FL, Fire Control District where the tradition brought the entire community to the likes of a local RV park for the past few decades.

“I've been here for 20 years, and they've been doing this long before even I got there," said Capt. Paramedic Joseph DeVito. "This is probably like a 30- or 40-year thing that's been going on that got stopped because of the (2022) hurricane."

The firefighters worked with the Fort Myers Beach Children’s Foundation to deliver gifts from Santa with a fire apparatus. Additionally, they raised money by hosting a pancake breakfast at the RV park. Probationary officers would be required to get in front of everyone and sing Christmas songs.

Since Hurricane Ian’s ground zero was Fort Myers Beach, most of the area has been leveled. The RV Park has been sold, ripping away the host of the longtime tradition. However, the fire district did not let the hurricane deter them from celebrating the holidays just a couple of months after the disaster.

Last year, they worked with a Fort Myers Beach elementary school to sell t-shirts that gave the means for the school to provide gym equipment for kids at recess. According to DeVito, seeing everyone come together just a few months after their lives got thrown in a blender "felt good to be kind of doing something back in the community again.”

Los Angeles Highland Park holiday parade 

A long-standing tradition in Highland Park, CA, had a holiday miracle fall into their lap. The story begins with the Highland Park Chamber of Commerce searching for “ancestors” to be honored in the holiday parade 15 years ago and walking into the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Ancestors were those who grew up in Highland Park, or migrated to the area in the 1800s. Little did they know, working within the department was Apparatus Operator Mike Brehm. Brehm's great-grandfather had a house right across from the station back in the day. Brehm's father was also a firefighter.

When the Chamber of Commerce staff came into the station one day, they ran into then-Los Angeles Battalion Chief Gene Bednarchik. After a discussion, Bednarchik was aware of Brehm’s history, and the miracle ensued. They had been looking for the Brehm for years.

The wheels started turning because Bednarchik knew getting Brehm to be in a parade was going to be a tall order. Bednarchik told the staff that if they got Brehm to be in the parade, he would be their Santa. The staff were successful in their persuasion, and they acquired their “Ancestors of Highland Park” in Brehm, and his father and their new Santa Claus, Bednarchik.

Every first Sunday of December, Las Angeles Fire Department Light Force 12 annually participates in the Highland Park Holiday Parade. 

Bednarchik has played Santa for the last 15 years, along with the Brehm being honored annually. However, when the pandemic hit, Bednarchik contracted a severe case of COVID-19. He took a year off from being Santa but was honored in the parade as himself. Since then, Bednarchik has resumed Santa activities, even buying his own Santa suit that cost around $800.

“I’ve been out there on sunshiny, 90-degree days and have also been up there, sitting on top of the ladder truck in the pouring rain. There are still kids parked on the side of the street no matter the weather," Bednarchik said. "This year, I think, was probably one of the greatest attendances that I've seen in my time or my tenure doing Santa Claus in that parade."

Jacksboro Fire Department stocking giveaway

One of the longest standing holiday traditions comes from Jacksboro, TX. Records report that since 1948, the Jacksboro Fire Department has been handing out stockings on a Santa Run. While it may have been on a much smaller scale back then, it has grown into something people come back to every year.

“I am somebody who grew up here. I've lived here all my life," said Capt. Jason Jennings. "I see people that I hadn't seen in years, every year, whenever we make the route. I've done this since 1998 every year on Christmas Eve and I don't really know Christmas Eve any other way than to be passing the stockings out."

From a majority volunteer fire department, Jacksboro has brought this event from handing out 200 stockings in 1948 to handing out more than 3,700 this year. The stockings include peanuts, mints, gum, apples and oranges. They are handed out by Santa and his firefighters from the department’s 1946 Seagrave pumper that was refurbished in 2011.

The firefighters hop on the truck around 7:30 a.m. and make their way to a retirement home, nursing home, and hospital. Then, the city route takes place, concluding at one of the busiest intersections where they hand out the remaining stockings.

Jennings has seen everything from proposals to pregnancy announcements as the engine rolls by. Not to mention, all of this is done by donations from the community. The cost of this year’s event is around $8,000.

The community involvement with this event is huge, Jennings said. The day before Christmas Eve, community members, firefighters, family, and friends gather at the Masonic Lodge to prepare the 3,700 stockings, which takes roughly three hours to complete. Not only is the community engaged, but the new members are pushed to try being Santa for a year.

According to Jennings, the experience is next to none.

“It's one of those things that after you've played Santa on the front of that truck, it's just it's something you'll want to do again. It really kind of brings a tradition home and it's a big deal for everybody. I thoroughly enjoy doing it every year and so do the rest of my guys,” Jennings said.

Ocean Pines train garden display

In Ocean Pines, MD, a new event began last year that seemed to bring back nostalgia for the city. A train garden was created by Ocean Pines Fire Department President Joe Enste, his dad, Don, and family friend Mark Libertini.

“I know that we've been able to see so many different generations that are coming through, and we get to really talk with them. It brings back a lot of great memories,” Enste said.

The train garden is displayed in the north firehouse in the engine bay where, for two weeks, people come and work on the interactive display. As it stands, there are eight trains on the monorail and the materials come from donations made by the people who work on it. It gets put on display Friday through Sunday, late November through Christmas Eve.

“For us it's about having something for the community to come to and see and have touch points with the community," Enste said. "We're using it to raise some funds but also talk about membership and finding ways for anyone to join our department. To help them in finding new ways that they might not have thought they could help."

The community comes in, free of charge, to gaze upon a 30- by 10-foot display shaped in the letter of a “U” to make things easier to see for the kids. The display also has a scavenger hunt to engage the kids. There are questions where they can find the answer in the train garden or there are things that you need to find within the garden.