While some Selma residents are just waking up on Christmas morning, firefighters will be hard at work, protecting the city.

Firefighter Capt. Franklin Edwards said residents shouldn’t hesitate to call the department if there is an emergency. Many firefighters will have already been at work for several hours by the time many are waking up to open presents.

Though they will be protecting the city, each firefighter on shift will have a two-hour break to visit family during the Christmas shift.

“We work 24-hour shifts, so you’re pulled away from your home in the wee hours in the morning,” Franklin said. “During the course of that day, you wouldn’t normally get to observe that day with your family until the next morning. By that time the holiday is over.”

Firefighter Terrence Venter said the holiday provides a much-needed break for firefighters that live close enough to drive home.

“It’s important to protect the city, but with the break I get to mingle with my kids and be there on Christmas with them,” Venter said.

The Christmas break was originally one hour, but was expanded by current fire chief Mike Stokes.

“I wanted to make sure our firefighters have an adequate amount of time to travel home and spend with their family if they live close enough to drive home,” Stokes said. “At no time is the city unprotected though. Several people have volunteered to come in during those breaks.”

Usually the calls received aren’t too severe and range from cooking to car accidents.

“Calls vary between people cooking from overnight, from Christmas Eve until Christmas Day where they are finishing up,” Franklin said. “We also get a lot of accidents, where people are in a rush and trying to make it home. It’s very important they think about making it home instead of being in a rush.”