‘Whenever the call comes in we have to go’: Durham first responders spending Christmas on the job

While most will be off on Christmas Day, spending time with loved ones, that won’t be the case for many emergency responders.

“Whenever the call comes in we have to go,” said Det. Const. Adam Handscomb of the Durham Regional Police Service K-9 Unit.

Handscomb and his partner, Flex, know it’s the holiday season, but they won’t be sitting around the dinner table with family and friends on Christmas Day.

“Every day at work is Christmas Day for him because there’s nothing more he would want to do than be at work,” said Handscomb of his partner.

Wednesday will mark Handscomb’s third Christmas Day at work since joining the K-9 unit.

“I think when we sign up to be police officers, we know that it comes with the territory and you have to work holidays and spend time away from your family and friends, but we do it so everyone else can have a safe and happy holiday,” said Handscomb.

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Brian Forbes knows what it’s like working on the big day — this will be his 10 Christmas in 13 years as a paramedic.

According to the Region of Durham Paramedic Services, they field around 250 calls on December 25th.

“Obviously over the holidays there’s more people on the roads, people are trying to get to and from family events, so we do see an increased number of collisions on the road,” Forbes said

“And also people don’t want to be a bother on Christmas, they don’t want to inconvenience their families, so we do see increased rates of heart attacks and strokes, people just waiting a little too long sometimes.”

Whitby Deputy Fire Chief Mike Matthews, meanwhile, is preparing for his 15th Christmas at the fire hall.

“It can be difficult at times, especially when your kids are younger, ” Matthews said.

“They don’t quite understand why you’re leaving.”

While Matthews says the hall is usually decked with Christmas spirit, they respond to a wide range of calls.

“We’ve had some fires over the years on Christmas Day — some related to kitchen fires, people putting wrapping paper into their fire places, we’ve had some chimney fires,” said Matthews.

It’s hard to predict just how busy the day will be, so most of the men and women on the front lines will carve out a moment to enjoy a holiday meal, either during or after their shift.