by Pat Peterson
Published: Wed, December 05, 2007 - 5:30 pm CST
Last Updated: Wed, December 05, 2007 - 6:45 pm CST
The Fish River will be the holiday "hot-spot" this weekend. Hundreds of people are expected to attend the annual Christmas boat parade. But for local firefighters, the holiday excitement will be mixed with apprehension and sadness."It's a little tough on us and some of the guys have really had to think about it," says Chief Gib Hixon with the Fish River-Marlow Volunteer Fire Department. "But we've moving on and moving forward and looking to take care of our community."
Two years ago, firefighters lost one of their own. Volunteer firefighter Chelsea Garvin was killed when a pleasure boat collided with her fire-rescue boat during the parade. Parade organizers cancelled the boat parade last year because of the accident.
"Safety is our biggest priority," says Hixon. "We're out checking our equipment and doing safety inspections along the river. We want everyone to have a great time but to also be safe."
Four fire-rescue boats will be on the Fish River during the parade. Ground crews will also be on stand-by in case of an emergency.
The boat parade begins at 4pm Saturday at the old Lulu's site on Highway 98 and ends at the County Road 32 bridge. There are still slots open for boaters. If you're interested in riding in the parade, meet at Lulu's at 3:30pm Saturday.
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