Fire Engine To Run Santa Claus Around Town

[EmmaOwl]

Okay. This. The title of my thread. Santa Claus perched on top of a fire engine with the lights going and the siren blaring for at least an hour. This will be happening in my town on Sunday, as soon as it gets dark.

The idiotic town where I currently live has a thing where they dress someone up as Santa Claus and run him around town, up and down and all around, on a fire engine with lights and sirens blaring! I cannot think of a more stupid thing to do with a fire truck - for one, it conditions people to think that emergency vehicles are not a big deal.

Is that as absurd as I think it is? Well, I don't remember this happening at all last year, certainly don't remember a prolonged panic attack when this took place last year... but it seems I had a majorly bad reaction. Now everyone is panicking ahead of time, about what to do this coming Sunday evening. (Ok "everyone" panicking = my mother panicking... but that is more than enough panic to go around.) So there's a plan afoot, me to be at the movies or an early dinner or something around 6 pm this Sunday. Requiring someone else to go with me. Sigh. This is when I feel tired and guilty. This is what my mother does: She tells me exactly what happened to HER during MY panic attack last year. Apparently, it frightened her terribly. (She does not comprehend, "Look, that's what PTSD IS, it keeps me from remembering crap like that! Don't TELL me about it.")

But now it has been discussed and gone over for two weeks, and it is way past the point where I can say that, past the point of "Let me stay home and see." A movie or an early dinner are the only two options anyone has come up with. I'd rather stay home and try to be ok with it, but the whole thing has been made into such a big deal.... I mean, the township offered not to run down my street, but there are kids several houses down, and I don't want to make them miss this odd variety of "fun". (I've been told I would have loved this when I was a child... I'm not sure.)

I'm tired, is all. Really really tired. Aren't the holidays difficult enough without this kind of extra stuff going on? What if there IS a fire? Etc etc.

 

[Friday]

Personally I think it's a brilliant bit of fun. But, then again, I grew up with Santa screaming in from overhead in an F14 Tomcat, or fast roping down from a combat helicopter.:sneaky: Santa? The original badass. So I may be a bit biased. Honestly, however, the single most dangerous thing on the road is you, if you have your lights and sirens going, because people freak out and do stupid shit; so anything that both engenders trust of emergency personal with children and gets adults to be a bit more normalized with lights and sirens on the road I see as a good thing, overall.

I think that you're also being brilliant in looking for ways to avoid something you know is going to stress you out and über kind-thoughtful-caring for the kids on your road to turn down the townships generous offer to skip your road.

I have to agree, it sounds like just trading one stressor for another in going to the movies, however. An chance there's something like a sound studio in your township? Something with noise dampening like a theatre, without the crowds in the dark, and Dolby Surround Sound? That you could book a room at practice studio rates (instead of recording studio + sound engineer rates)? Or a highschool theater or gym. Safe deposit vault at the bank? Someplace you could go chill by yourself or with a few friends that's a good foot or three thick with concrete, steel, & durasom?

 

[gealach]

Most small towns have some form of parade, Christmas light up, or something to kickoff & celebrate the season. It's not idiotic, it's something positive to bring the community together during a dark & cold season in North America. From a first responder point of view, our job does actually include public relations, public education, etc. It's not just about fires and mvc's and blood and nastiness and death. We actually look forward to these types of events, it's fun for us and lets us interact with our community when something is going right. In some services, there's quite a bit of competition for these events. These events also teach members of the public, especially kids, not to be afraid of us/lights/sirens because they've been able to interact with us positively, prior to any emergency. I've seen the result of a lack of positive exposure prior to an emergency...

From a sufferer point of view I personally don't really enjoy this season, and I can definitely empathize with the noise induced panic and anxiety. If you would rather stay home, advocate for yourself and stay home. This is about you, not them. How you cope with stress and triggers *should be your choice. They can have an opinion, but it *should ultimately be your choice. There are some great earplugs & headphone style noise blockers that might work for you. There are also relaxing techniques like meditating, deep breathing, visualization, etc. Beyond that.... calming meds? ativan? What exactly are they going to do if you refuse to leave the house (sarcasm)?

I wish you all the best, and hope you can find a healthy solution that works for you. :)

 

[gealach]

the single most dangerous thing on the road is you, if you have your lights and sirens going, because people freak out and do stupid shit;

Exactly!!!!!!!

 

[EmmaOwl]

I grew up with Santa screaming in from overhead in an F14 Tomcat, or fast roping down from a Combat helicopter.:sneaky: Santa? The original badass. So I may be a bit biased.

Okay you're just weird ;) I'll get back to this in a minute.

Here's the thing - Oh I am on endless tirades about "where I grew up" vs "where I live now" (the middle of nowhere, as far as I'm concerned) but where I grew up, at a junction of a zillion highways and thruways and such, even though my town itself was tiny the population was about as dense as you could get without being in a major city. Emergency vehicles were frequently around, on serious business, and potentially caused traffic problems. An ambulance could cause a major jam. Drivers in that area did not panic and were well aware of what to do and ready for it, though. It was more difficult to maneuver because car lanes were more narrow, fewer shoulders, etc. There's no fear, just preparedness. So if you are a kid, you grow up that way, you know how to respond to an emergency. You are calm but you get the heck out of the way and stay there.

That is NOT the case here though. Community relations are different. Traffic is different; there's less of it, the roads are wider, etc etc. And no you don't hear sirens going by all the time. So I guess, here, there are different priorities.

Most small towns have some form of parade, Christmas light up, or something to kickoff & celebrate the season. It's not idiotic, it's something positive to bring the community together during a dark & cold season

I agree with you. This is good and appropriate. I'm accustomed to the idea of public relationships, liaisons with the kids and the schools, and parades and other celebrations, which which I think are appropriate places to drive around. I understand the importance. I agree that it can be vital in a small town.

I don't want to argue but I think what I'm describing is different from what you are speaking of. In this, there is absolutely no interaction, just trucks speeding around in the dark. I'm talking, they take 4 trucks, have no warning, and just drive around for an hour or so. It is seriously strange. If you're not from the area, and without prior warning, you'd have no idea what was going on, just that fire trucks ran around your block for no reason that you could possible figure out. They don't stop, there is no real interaction, they go up and down and around. Probably not less than 20mph around. Speed is somehow a part of this. You have to have a clear view of the street if you are going to see anyone dressed up as Santa Claus.

What exactly are they going to do if you refuse to leave the house

This is a most excellent point!

 

[EmmaOwl]

I think that you're also being brilliant in looking for ways to avoid something you know is going to stress you out and über kind-thoughtful-caring for the kids on your road to turn down the townships generous offer to skip your road.

Thanks! You also win the most-creative-solution award (A bank vault? Wow! A sound stage? Impressive!)
Luckily this town is small in area and I can go 5 or 6 miles away to the nearest movie theater, and there are some choices of restaurants to go to that will be far enough away from the noise (so I've been told, anyway).

I'd plain old prefer to stay in on a Sunday afternoon/evening.
Actually... dammit... - well to be honest, I'm actually working against some agoraphobic tendencies, so I ought to go out. I just don't like feeling that I MUST do something. I don't want to be chased away from my home! (I'm going to bookmark these comments so I'll have good excuses when I REALLY kick in on the agoraphobia! I can be creative too!)

What exactly are they going to do if you refuse to leave the house?

Umm... My mother will bitch at me?

I wish you all the best, and hope you can find a healthy solution that works for you.

On a more serious note, thanks for reading and being understanding and also offering up your perspective as an emergency worker.

 

[aut555]

People have way to much time on their hands. Most normal places park the fire truck somewhere and collect toys for tots with the fire truck being the advertisement of the event. Maybe you could anonymously request this next year as a better choice. Lol.

One year, they parked the fire truck in front of grocery store and we took pics of our kids standing near it, with a ton of pumpkins gracing the front of it.

 

[Seasounds]

I would not enjoy this celebration, either. I hope you can find some peace and quite.

 

[EveHarrington]

I don't understand why you can't just go to the movies and out to dinner.

Obviously this was majorly stressing to your family last year. It was majorly stressing to you as well because you were either so stressed that you didn't form memories or you dissociated it all away.

I understand wanting to face your fears but at the same time it's so stressing to your family to have to potentially relive last year that they have an alternate plan.

Essentially you are using the "this is PTSD" excuse to just stick your head in the sand. Is it right for you to want nobody to talk about your bad episodes because you don't remember them, even when you're putting tons of stress on others? You live with your parents, and they don't want to relive last years events. I don't see what's so wrong with humoring them and going to dinner when the alternative is to stress them out with what may potentially or actually happen.

Maybe your mom does care. Maybe she is being selfish but Uhm isn't it her home and doesn't she have a right to want a peaceful home and not a majorly stressing scene like last year?

 

[EmmaOwl]

Essentially you are using the "this is PTSD" excuse to just stick your head in the sand.

Well, yes. You're right! I already admitted to that here:

Actually... dammit... - well to be honest, I'm actually working against some agoraphobic tendencies, so I ought to go out. I just don't like feeling that I MUST do something.

"Woe is me, I must go to dinner and/or a movie." That is silliness, on my part.

Uhm isn't it her home and doesn't she have a right to want

It isn't her home; it's OUR home. I do have trouble seeing it that way... I distance myself. But I am part of a three-person household - I am encouraged to think of where I live as my home, and I am asked to join in and be an active part of this household. Sure she's got a right to want a peaceful home, as you put it. But as things stand, it is not her right to decide all by herself what ought to be done.

Is it right for you to want nobody to talk about your bad episodes because you don't remember them, even when you're putting tons of stress on others?

Um. Well, yes, I think it is my right not to rehash things over and over and tell me the details of how upset she was. Maybe after the 3rd time she outlined it to me, she could move on, as there are other people she could discuss this with. However, she is a negative person and in fact, the third person of our little household is my father - who I ref quite often because he and I get along very well in several different roles - father/daughter, friend/friend, ill family member/caretaker. On very rare occasion, scholar/scholar. I generally avoid mention of my mother because she is so negative, it's better to let her be. But, on occasion, I allow her behavior to get to me, and stall some of my work towards a happier life. This is part of a pattern of behavior that no one here can understand, as I've not posted about it, and I'll leave it at that.


This is a bit deeper than I intended to go on this one! I'll wind up with "Isn't it weird for fire trucks to race around town with lights and sirens blaring, exactly as they would if they were driving to a real fire?" and "Might it not bother you, as someone with PTSD?"
My brilliant father came with this seemingly simple solution: Can't they get some kind of jingle bells? Lights running, that's ok because then it doesn't seem like an emergency-emergency. Sirens are one step too far. Makes sense to me.

OK - I've gotta go get myself dressed & ready to go see a movie. Thanks for everyone who read and your responses!

 

[Friday]

Thanks! You also win the most-creative-solution award (A bank vault? Wow! A sound stage? Impressive!)

One thing I really like about small towns is that they're usually willing to bend the rules if you know someone. Big cities, it doesn't matter so much who you know, sneaking is still generally involved (as is getting into trouble if you get caught). <chuckling> So it's less creative solutions, and more places I've found myself over the years. I was going spare in a very small town one Fourth of July and the bank manager offered me use of his vaults. Oh, bless. Heaven. Because of a trick with acoustics, the catwalks above theaters are usually almost silent, even with a big show running down below. Learned that crewing a few plays. And that's not even including the GodBox which is usually soundproofed. Married a musician, so spent a lot of time in recording studios. Shrug. I make note of places that have peace and quiet, and usually try and maintain contacts there, so I can use them when the situation seems to call for it.

 

[aut555]

Well, yes. You're right! I already admitted to that here:"Woe is me, I must go to dinner and/or a movi...

Can relate totally. My mother has always been making decisions that sometimes border on slightly evil, and l for the most part, sweep it under the rug with my emotions. Understand it's her rigid upbringing but it's still tough. I am now in training for don't let her irritate me , just take it as her. Maybe we aren't the best match in mother daughter land. I have had more connections with men, as friends. My mother has more male friends too. Oh well, hope the holidays treat you better and are quiet for you.