Maynard fire captain has written a children's Christmas book promoting fire safety

Norman Miller, The MetroWest Daily News
·2 min read

MAYNARD — "Twas the night before Christmas in the firehouse, not an alarm bell ringing, not one fire to douse…"

Thus begins "A Firehouse's Night Before Christmas," a modern-day, safety-oriented retelling of Clement Clarke Moore's "A Visit from St. Nicholas," by Northborough and Maynard firefighter Michael Parr.

"It started while sitting around the firehouse around the holidays and I started thinking about 'Twas the Night Before Christmas,'" said Parr, 39, who lives in Northborough. "It was just kind of a fun-hearted, jokey thing, but I kept playing with it. I tried to adapt it as closely to the original poem as I could."

Maynard fire Capt. Michael Parr holds his new book, "A Firehouse's Night Before Christmas," at the Maynard Fire Dept. headquarters, Dec. 7, 2023. Parr lives in Northborough, where he works part time in its fire department.
Maynard fire Capt. Michael Parr holds his new book, "A Firehouse's Night Before Christmas," at the Maynard Fire Dept. headquarters, Dec. 7, 2023. Parr lives in Northborough, where he works part time in its fire department.

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Parr grew up surrounded by firefighters — his father, David Parr, was Wakefield's fire chief and his uncle was also a firefighter. Michael Parr started as a call firefighter in Wakefield before joining the Maynard Fire Department almost 10 years ago.

In Maynard, he is a captain and in charge of fire education, running several public education programs in town schools. Parr also works part time at the Northborough Fire Department as hazardous materials assistant.

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"A Firehouse's Night Before Christmas," contains several standard fire safety tips, such as staying low to the ground, having escape plans and keeping doors closed. It also features checklists for developing a fire safety plan.

Michael Parr's new book, "A Firehouse's Night Before Christmas," is closely adapted from the Christmas classic "A Visit from St. Nicholas."
Michael Parr's new book, "A Firehouse's Night Before Christmas," is closely adapted from the Christmas classic "A Visit from St. Nicholas."

Parr, who worked with illustrator Jasmine Smith, was recently named the 2023 Fire and Life Safety Educator of the Year Award by the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services. Because of that, he wanted to make sure his book contained many safety tips to help educate children as they were being entertained.

"Public education has really been my focus," he said. "I really wanted to find a way to work some safety lessons into it. It's a really good way to get that information to the kids."

Maynard fire Capt. Michael Parr shows his new fire safety book, "A Firehouse's Night Before Christmas."
Maynard fire Capt. Michael Parr shows his new fire safety book, "A Firehouse's Night Before Christmas."

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Parr self-published the book on Amazon, where it is available to purchase in both paperback ($19.47) and e-book ($9.47 on Kindle) form. Locally, it's available at Tatnuck Booksellers in Westborough and FSP Books in Hudson.

Parr said he hopes those who read his book learn valuable life-saving lessons.

"It's really an education for both children and their parents," he said.

Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or nmiller@wickedlocal.com. For up-to-date public safety news, follow him on X @Norman_MillerMW or on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerCrime.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Firefighter Michael Parr writes Christmas-themed fire safety book