HOOVER — It’s a tradition that began back in the 1980s when Hoover was just a glimmer of the city it is today.
“Station 4 used to put Santa in its bucket truck and take him around its territory,” said Matt Javinett, assistant chief of the Hoover Fire Department. “It got such a warm reception, they decided to start doing it in the rest of the territories at that time. Of course, the city has grown quite a bit since then.”
Still today, Hoover Fire Department’s annual Santa Run makes its way through every street in the city on Christmas Eve, during which Santa greets all of Hoover’s children before he and his reindeer begin their global gift distribution.
“We have 11 stations now, so we put Santa Claus on 11 fire engines,” Javinett said.
Who gets to be Santa in Hoover on Christmas Eve?
“Every station has a Santa suit and it’s the luck of the draw. Whoever is on duty that day picks somebody to wear the Santa suit,” he said. “Some territories start at about 3 in the afternoon and some ride the streets until 8 or 9 at night. I’m not going to say we hit every street, but we try to. We certainly hit the vast majority of them,”Javinett said.
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Courtesy Hoover Fire Department
Adults and children enjoy seeing Santa arrive on a Hoover Fire Department truck
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Courtesy Hoover Fire Department
Santa has a VIP seat aboard a HFD truck on Christmas Eve.
Hoover residents are very understanding about Santa having to make detours from time to time to take care of emergencies.
“Every unit is in service during the Santa run and we may have to break off to make an emergency call with Santa on the truck,” he said. “Most citizens understand we have other obligations. We come back and finish up after the call if we can and it’s not too late.”
While Hoover children eagerly await the Santa Run each Christmas Eve, so do Hoover’s firefighters.
“Our guys enjoy this. It’s one of those things that brings the community together. It’s fun. Some of the trucks play Christmas music on the loudspeaker and kids love it. I’ve done it several years and seeking how the kids react is priceless,”Javinett said.
See the full schedule in the link below.