Jolly ‘Old Elf’ set for annual ride-along atop fire engine

Santa Claus to visit every Murphy neighborhood

MURPHY (November 28, 2022) The call from the North Pole has once again arrived in Murphy, as Santa Claus has asked the firefighter/paramedics of Murphy Fire Rescue to help him get familiar with Murphy streets and neighborhoods.

The answer was a resounding yes, with the Murphy Fire Department agreeing to allow Santa to ride atop a fire engine during evenings for about two weeks starting on Monday, Dec. 5 

On each of the evenings, which do not include Sundays, old Saint Nick will board a Murphy fire engine at 6:30 p.m. and greet kids in different Murphy neighborhoods until 8:30 p.m. and will continue to do so until he visits each neighborhood. 

“We’re extremely excited about this year’s ride-along, continuing a tradition that’s been part of Murphy for quite a few years,” says Fire Chief Del Albright. “Santa will ride every street except short cul-de-sacs, and of course, if there’s inclement weather, or a real-life emergency, the ride for that evening will be either postponed or canceled.” 

A handy interactive map at http://www.murphytx.org/480/Santas-Ride will allow residents to see exactly where Santa is on any of the evening rides. Once opened, the map lets residents identify their specific home and the numeric waypoint on the map closest to their home. The ride will follow the waypoints in order and will be outlined in a green dotted line. Once Santa passes a waypoint, the line becomes solid red. A small fire truck on the map displays Santa's exact location.

Santa Claus will be securely strapped to the fire engine, so he won’t be able to disembark and interact with anyone. In fact, to complete the entire City within the timeframe, the slow-rolling engine will not be able to stop for any length of time.

Because Santa can’t get off the engine, firefighters, and perhaps even some Council members will be tossing wrapped candy from the back of the fire engine. As a precaution, officials ask that parents accompany small children and keep an eye on them as Santa makes his way through the neighborhood.

The fire engine will have all of the brightly colored emergency lights ablaze and will be sounding the siren, all intended to alert residents of the presence of the celebrity from the North Pole.