Tim Leeds Havre Daily News tleeds@havredailynews.com
While local police officers and firefighters say they try to keep a festive spirit when they have to work Dec. 24 and 25, when it comes to work it’s business as usual: making sure all have a safe Christmas. “We handle it all the same,” said Sgt. Gabe Matosich, a 10-year veteran of the Havre Police Department. The Havre firefighters said much the same; adding that they do try to keep the holiday spirit. “We have a tree,” said Joe Lamphier, a driver/ operator who has been with the fire department for eight years. “We have a tree and presents,” added engineer Jack Trethewey, a 14-year veteran. At the police department, Matosich and Sgt. Bill Wilkinson, an 18-year Havre police officer, said who works the holiday pretty much is the luck of the draw. If the holiday falls on an officer’s scheduled shift, the officer works the shift. That can mean working Christmas Eve until 6:30 Christmas morning, only to have to come back at 2 p.m. later that day. Police Chief George Tate said that doesn’t always leave many options. “The way the schedule rotates, that’s the way it works,” he said. “You either do Christmas another day or give up some sleep.” Trethewey said it works out about the same for the fire department. “It’s a luck of the draw thing,” he said. The officers and firefighters do try to give each other a break this year, Sgt. Mike LaBaty, who has no young children at home, is letting one of his officers take Christmas Eve off to spend with his family and younger children, and the other spends Christmas day at home, Tate said. Lamphier said the firefighters typically do the same, trying to give a break to their coworkers who have young families. “It’s definitely a lot harder when you have younger kids,” he said. “It’s kind of nice to be there on Christmas.” As far as work goes, they are just work days. Tate said dealing with crimes over the holiday can be a little harder on officers, but there are usually fewer violent crimes on Christmas day. “It’s generally very quiet,” he said, adding that more patrols are made to reduce the chance of burglaries and theft. Wilkinson said Christmas Eve can be a little rowdier, but there is no way to know. “That can fluctuate,” he said. “Some years it’s busy, some not.” The firefighters said they can’t predict how busy it will be.“You never know, it’s like any other day,” Trethewey said. “It’s hit and miss,” Chief Dave Sheppard added. Lamphier said it does seem like improvements have been made that might reduce the chance of fires. “The newer lights seem to be better,” he said, “candle awareness seems to be better.” Sheppard said the chance of fires seems to be tied more to weather, with the chance higher during cold weather. “It’s not really tied to the holidays,” he said. Part of the duty in emergency services extends to those who are not scheduled as well as those officially on duty. Trethewey said people are also on call. A Christmas morning fire about seven years ago brought 17 firefighters to work on the holiday, with the entire department, except one firefighter who was out of town, responding. But whoever draws the shifts to work the holidays firefighters work their standard 24-hour shifts 8 a.m. to 8 a.m. they try to keep the spirit. The hall is decorated, and the firefighters try to have a meal together. “We try to have a festive dinner,” Lamphier said. Firefighter Cody McLain, who will be working his first Christmas in his three years w i t h t h e H a v r e F i r e D e p a r t m e n t , s a i d t h e Christmas spirit seems to be high. “Some of the guys decorated my locker,” he said. “It’s pretty festive.” Wilkinson said that with a small shift on the holiday, it’s hard to do much to celebrate. “You’re down to the bare minimum,” he said. Tate said his department does what it can. He took a smoked turkey down to the station Thursday and planned to bring another in today to help with the Christmas spirit. “This time of year people tend to draw closer anyway,” he said. “ It’s kind of like a mini family gathering. The atmosphere is a little more festive.” The emergency personnel also receive treats and cards thanking them for their service during the season. “They try to fatten us up,” Wilkinson said. The fire department sees the same. “We have a lot of cards from people, a lot of goodies,” Trethewey said. “It seems to be a constant flow the week before Christmas.”
