Gift that keeps giving
THOMAS Mahoney is in for a massive afternoon on Christmas Day.
But unlike millions of others across the country, he is not necessarily looking forward to it.
The communications manager at Queensland Fire and Emergency Services will be one of a number of frontline workers who will selflessly work on the biggest public holiday of the year, trying to keep people safe and families together.
Danger can surface at any moment – particularly during the festive period.
Mr Mahoney and his team of D-Shift Firecom officers take emergency (triple-0) calls and ensure fire services head straight to the scene.
Traditionally, Christmas morning was fairly quiet but emergency calls would often “ramp up” in the afternoon.
“We regularly see serious motor vehicle accidents where people quite often have had too much to drink and decide to drive,” he said. “Tragically, we often see people on Christmas who are seriously injured or worse. There are household fires, where people have put something in the oven and forgotten about it.”
Mr Mahoney said his team made a “huge sacrifice” by working over Christmas.
“There’s a lot of young mums with young children and they are away from their families to provide a critical service to the community.”
He said his team brought a “positive attitude to the workplace and despite knowing they will miss out on time with their kids, it’s a monumental credit to them for putting community first”.
Firecom supervisor Eliza James said the team had a “big area to manage” – from Logan to the border, through the Lockyer Valley, Scenic Rim and as far southwest as Boonah – bringing a “variety of calls”.
Ms James, a mother of two small children, said her partner would bring her kids into the office on Christmas Day just to “have a little bit of time with mum”.
“My father was a firefighter and I remember coming to the station on Christmas Day for the parties,” she said.
She urged people to “be kind to one another over the festive season”.
Ms James said there were more blazes before LED Christmas lights became mainstream, but oven fires and car accidents were still far too common.
“We also see several battery fires. This occurs with simple electronics, including kids’ toys with charging devices.”
Despite it being a day away from family, she said the festive spirit soared in the office.
“It’s a great atmosphere. We love to cook and bring in food to celebrate. The public are also fantastic and always say Merry Christmas to us over the phone.”