Oliver Fire Department bring carols to the community on a old fire truck

Photo: Facebook

The Oliver Fire Department is keeping their yearly Christmas truck celebrations going, adapting to making sure to spread some holiday cheer safely. 

Every evening from Dec. 18 until the 23, firefighters will be driving through Oliver neighbourhoods with Christmas carols blasting from their speakers. 

“We have our old fire truck, which is a 1947 Chevy fire truck that we have outfitted with Christmas lights and Santa will be on the truck and we’ll drive through a specific portion of town,” Rob Graham, fire information officer with the Oliver Fire Department said. 

Usually the firefighters will also walk with the neighbours and hand out candy canes, enjoying social time within the community. But this year they will be keeping within their households and waving from a distance. 

“This has been ongoing for 25 years or so that we've been doing something of this style...Everybody expects this from us every year now.”

The fire crews have also made a point of going up the hospital and McKinney Place care home, which is dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak, before heading to their routes to bring a bit of hope. 

“This year more than others, since everybody is stuck at home and looking for a reason to have a bit more Christmas spirit this year,” Graham added.

Every night the Oliver Fire Department will be posting their route on their Facebook page, with the Christmas truck heading out at 6 p.m.