It wasn't very long ago that finding enough ornaments to fill a tree for a firehouse Christmas was a difficult task. A handful were available from fire specialty catalogs, and a careful hunter might have tracked down one or two in a local store. But, past that point, the variety and the numbers were limited. In recent years, however, things have changed for the better with major manufacturers now carrying fire-related pieces in their annual holiday lines. Add to this ornaments issued by apparatus manufacturers and an expanding number available by mail, and you have good news for the collector.
Firefighting ornaments are available in a wide variety of subjects, materials, sizes and prices. Cloth Santas complete with helmet and hose, blown-glass and porcelain pumpers, wooden steamers and plaster Dalmatians are all easily found. Hydrants, helmets, stations and hose are there as well, as are cartoon character firefighters with familiar faces. Novelty light sets in the appropriate motif complete the tree.
No tree is complete without a ceramic village, and here too most such collections now contain a fire station as part of the offering. Size and price are varied, with selections ranging from small luminaries to large and intricate affairs. And if you are a purist and insist on a train beneath your tree, you'll have to check your local swap meets or garage sales the last set of firefighting trains I know of was manufactured 30 years ago.
Barry Furey, a Firehouse® correspondent, is executive director of the Knox County, TN, Emergency Communications District and longtime collector of fire-related ornaments. He is an ex-chief of the Valley Cottage, NY, Fire Department, ex-deputy chief of the Harvest, AL, Volunteer Fire Department and a former training officer for the Sevoy, IL, Fire Department.