By DILLON PROVENZA
Staff writer
A Christmastime tradition at the Cherrytree Township Volunteer Fire Department station challenges residents to “keep it safe” during the holiday.
Hanging on the fire hall Wednesday afternoon was a wreath filled with green light bulbs, a good sign this close to Christmas. A red light bulb on the wreath would signal that a structure fire occurred in the township.
“We don’t want any red,” said Don Deliman, a volunteer firefighter and EMT. “We’ve had many, many, years without it red,” he said.
Deliman serves as a trustee for the department, and he said he has been with the department since 2001. He brought the wreath tradition over from his time as a firefighter in Illinois.
The wreath is a “challenge,” according to Deliman, for people to take extra precautions around the holidays. He said to never leave burning candles unattended, don’t let live trees dry out and never overload electrical circuits.
The most red light bulbs ever put on the wreath in a season was just two, Deliman said. But the great amount of green light bulbs weighing the wreath down stands as a somber reminder of how fast fires can get out of control.
“We don’t like structure fires anytime of the year, but definitely not around Christmastime,” Deliman said.
