Auto body shop staff saw 'Santa' rush in to put out blazing fire. When they learned who was in the suit, they started cheering
In many scenarios, showing up and doing the work can matter more than anything. A fire captain proved that when he responded to a fire emergency in his Santa Claus costume. The man, Captain Robert Churchey, was dressed as Santa for a Christmas parade in Spencer when he got a call about a structure fire. The man dropped everything and immediately rushed to help people. He also had a special surprise for everyone once the fire was under control, per CBS Boston.
"A couple of hours before the parade, I found out I was going to be Santa," Churchey pointed out. "One of the gentlemen on the fire department had a Santa outfit that I could borrow." He was all dressed up and ready to go to the parade, a big event for the town. The fire department also participated in the event in a big way each year, according to the outlet. The incident happened on December 6th and Churchey had been with the parade for only a couple of minutes. The fire crew was present in the staging area and everyone was having a good time. The captain was getting pictures taken with people who came up to him for the same. But then he realized something was off all of a sudden.
"I was able to dress up. I was at the parking lot, talking to people, taking pictures," Churchey explained. All of a sudden, he noticed that people from his department were running towards the truck. "Someone yelled out that there was a structure fire." The man immediately got into work mode and rushed after his team to respond to the emergency. The fire had been reported by one of the participants in the parade. An auto body shop called Woody's Auto Body Shop was burning. The fire was spreading rapidly and the crew had to work fast to get it under control and to ensure that everyone was safe and sound.
"There was heavy smoke coming out of the building. The doors were all blackened out and we couldn't see inside," Churchey recalled. "The condition was rapidly deteriorating." The man was still in his Santa suit as he started working. He only changed clothes once he had to start directing his ladder. Soon enough, things were under control because of the department's speedy response. The flames could be stopped in just one part of the building that housed the shop. Surprisingly enough, the fire department decided to join the parade once again after they were done with their work. Churchey wore his Santa suit once again and waved at people from the top of the fire truck as they walked by on the parade route.
The captain was glad that he could help people in an emergency situation and still be a part of the parade that meant a lot to the residents. "It was great. We got to finish the parade with Santa," Churchey admitted. "Because without Santa, it is not much of a parade, I think," the man went on. He believed that doing his work was much more important than whatever he was wearing. Churchey had been with the department for over 35 years, according to the outlet.