Hove firefighters are gearing up for their big charity pull on Thursday (16 December).
The crews are planning to get into the Christmas spirit by sporting deer antlers, with Father Christmas at the wheel of the fire engine.
And the East Sussex Fire and Rescue fire engine will be decorated with fairy lights and safety posters designed by local schoolchildren.
The idea behind the event is not only to spread some Christmas cheer.
The firefighters want to spread a safety message about the dangers of distractions as a passenger, driver or pedestrian, which can result in tragic accidents.
Schoolchildren from 12 local schools were invited to take part in a competition to design a poster to be displayed on the appliance for the charity pull.
Members of Green Watch see the problem as one of the growing ills of modern day society.
And they were keen to get youngsters and their families on board as a way of reaching out to the community.
Protect
The two winning posters have now been picked and will take pride of place on the back of the two Hove fire engines for at least six months.
Two firefighters from Green Watch were behind the idea and as fathers themselves felt they wanted to help protect youngsters in Brighton and Hove.
Kieran Wood and Daren Smith have cajoled the rest of the crew into training for the big day.
The pair said: “There are many things that can cause an accident in a car – such as changing CDs, texting on your mobile, sticking your head out of the passenger window or even shouting.
“The main aim of this competition is to stop kids getting run over and distracting parents in the car.
“We want to educate the parents, as well as the kids.
“If we can save just one child this Christmas, then this event will all be worthwhile.”
They are hoping that their charity pull on Thursday will raise money for the Chestnut Tree House children’s hospice and the Fire Fighters’ Charity.
Overwhelmed
They have already collected £1,450 by shaking tins outside Sainsbury’s over two days.
And they raised £160 at Goldstone Retail Park in Hove before being called to an incident on Saturday 4 December.
They also collected £915 over two evenings at Hove greyhound stadium.
The two firefighters said that they had been completely overwhelmed by the generosity of festive shoppers and greyhound racing fans.
Kieran said: “We were bowled over by the immense generosity of everyone and we hope that we have a good response on Thursday.
“We have been hard training to ensure that we are able to pull the appliance around the city whatever the weather.”
To date they have raised £4,471 and are urging people to give generously if they see them pulling the appliance on Thursday.
Donations can be made at www.justgiving.com/GreenWatchHove.
