Flanders Firefighters Escort Santa As He Chats With Kids, Poses for Pix and Collects Toys for Tots

Toys collected by Flanders Fire Company #1 & Rescue Squad Top The 1,000 Mark As Fire Company Continues Tradition Started in the Sixties.
By: Flanders Fire Company #1 and Rescue Squad
 
FLANDERS, N.J. - Dec. 23, 2013 - PRLog -- With sirens wailing to alert neighborhood children, Flanders Fire Company #1 (http://www.flanders-fire-rescue.org/) apparatus drove Santa Claus up and down local streets Saturday, where he stopped to chat with children, pose for photographs and collect toys for the U.S. Marines’ Toys for Tots program.

The long-standing tradition netted lots of good photos and smiles along with 500 additional toys for the Toys for Tots program, bringing to about 1,100 the number of toys given to the program this year by Flanders firefighters and emergency medical technicians.

“The Flanders Fire Company #1 serves the community in a variety of different ways, not just responding to calls for help,” said Doug Fenichel, president of the Flanders Fire Company Association, the organization that handles the business affairs of the department. “This is a way to have some fun and take care some of local children.”

“It’s something everyone looks forward to doing all year,” said Kevin Dolan, association treasurer and the firefighter who coordinates Santa’s visit and the fire company’s participation with the Toys for Tots program. “Everyone has a good time and it serves kids in the community.”

The Flanders Fire Company #1 and Rescue Squad has driven Santa around town since the 1960s, when members escorted Santa from a local airport to a local service club’s annual Christmas meeting. The route gradually expanded to cover more of the growing town. Today, the airport is gone and the event has evolved into one anticipated by local children.

It’s also the second prong of the fire company’s efforts to support the Toys for Tots program. Flanders firefighters, EMTs and people from the community braved the snow on Dec. 14 to pass about 600 toys into a boxcar that was part of a train that brought Santa Claus and a U.S. Marine to Mount Olive Township. The train stopped at the Flanders firehouse. It was the fifth year the Flanders Fire Company #1 and Rescue Squad hosted the Toys for Tots train. This year, members of the Mount Olive Area Chamber of Commerce and Mount Olive Police Department assisted in the effort to gather toys. Many local residents and their children also greeted the train.

The Flanders Fire Company and Rescue Squad No. 1 provides fire protection and emergency medical services to residents and businesses in Flanders and, through mutual aid, surrounding towns. It is made up of about 50 members who receive training in fire suppression, rescue, hazardous materials response, homeland security issues and emergency medical services.

The fire company, which is always looking for new members, operates two fire engines, one tower truck, one heavy rescue, a brush-and-foam truck, two ambulances, a multiple-casualty unit and a mass decontamination unit.

In addition, the fire company offers public education services including lectures, demonstrations, training and a trailer that safely simulates a smoke-filled home. For information about membership, donations or public education, call (973) 584-7805 or click on www.flanders-fire-rescue.org.

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Source:Flanders Fire Company #1 and Rescue Squad
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Tags:Flanders EMS, Santa, Toys For Tots, Flanders Fire, Flanders NJ
Industry:Family, Government
Location:FLanders - New Jersey - United States
Subject:Events
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