MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake firefighters held their Christmas community event at ground level this year. 

“The last few years, we’ve done what we call the campus tour,” said MLFD Battalion Chief Schrade Rouse. “We would put our Santa on top of the truck and ride a neighborhood route so that people could come out and visit with us if they wanted to. But recently we were restricted by (state law) about letting Santa Claus ride on top of the truck. So now we’re trying a stationary (event).” 

For the first time around, they got a pretty good turnout, Rouse said. 

“We probably contacted 80 kids, maybe 50 families,” Rouse said. “We had very enthusiastic attendees.” 

This year's Santa, who goes by the name of retired firefighter Jay Morice the rest of the year, stayed firmly on the ground. 

“He was our Santa for all those previous years (when he was an active firefighter),” Rouse said. “I think he just still has a hankering for it.” 

Morice was accompanied by Sparky, the MLFD mascot. The role of Sparky was taken in shifts, Rouse said; Izzy Delay took the morning and Adan Moreno in the afternoon. 

The weather was surprisingly cooperative, Rouse said.  

“We couldn’t have ordered better weather for it,” he said. “Considering it was monsoon rains for two days before and we had hurricane winds the night before, waking up and having it be sunshine and blue sky was very fortunate.” 

While they were there, the firefighters took the opportunity to collect some nonperishable food for the Moses Lake Food Bank. The food they brought in filled a two-by-two-by-four-foot box, Rouse said. 

They also get a few non-food items, he added.

“We took in some donations … we weren’t expecting,” Rouse said. “People are in a giving spirit, so they come down and they’ll (say) ‘Hey, I have a bicycle I’d like to donate.’ We can find a recipient for your bike. I told those people, ‘We’re in the business of connecting people who would like to donate with people who are in need.’” 

This being the first time the MLFD has pulled off the event, there were bound to be a few lessons learned to apply next year. Setting up the photo location for better lighting was one, Rouse said, and next year they plan to invite the food bank to be present while the firefighters collect donations. The biggest lesson, however, was how much hot cocoa is needed. 

“We learned we only need about 6 gallons of hot cocoa to serve every hundred children that attend,” Rouse said. “I think we had about 10 gallons on this one. Everybody here (at the station) is cocoa-drunk right now.” 

    Sparky the MLFD mascot, left, and Santa Claus – sometimes known as retired firefighter Jay Morice – pose for photos at Ashley’s Playground in Moses Lake Saturday.
  

    In past years the Moses Lake firefighters have gone out on their trucks to cruise around Moses Lake neighborhoods, but state law forced them to plant themselves in one place to meet the community.