On duty for the police, Acting Sergeant Corin DennisonChristmas is traditionally the time to celebrate at home. Kevin Shoesmith looks at what the emergency servicemen and women are doing tomorrow and how non-Christians spend their holiday time

WHILE you are tucking into your turkey dinner spare a thought for members of the three emergency services, who will be poised for action if your Christmas takes a turn for the worse.

Swindon fire station is one of just three stations in Wiltshire to be manned 24-hours a day 365 days a year.

This year it is the turn of Green Watch to provide cover on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

Andrew Hargreaves, assistant divisional officer for Wiltshire, said Christmas is a special day, but for firefighters it is business as usual.

He said: "It is strange working over Christmas and there is certainly a down side to it in that firefighters cannot be with their families.

"But the atmosphere is always jolly and everyone makes the most of it.

"Sometimes the sub officer will make the firefighters their Christmas dinner we all have a bit of fun."

For part-time firefighters, who man the smaller retained stations such as Cricklade and Wootton Bassett, Christmas can be spent at home so long as they don't eat too much or have a Christmas tipple.

"Each week on drill nights they are given an availability sheet to fill in, detailing the times that they are on duty," said Mr Hargreaves.

"If they are on duty it means that they can't drink. If their bleeper goes they have to get to the station immediately."

Ambulance crews are also gearing up for a busy time.

Steve Blackmore, station officer for Swindon and Marlborough, says Christmas Day afternoon is traditionally the busiest time.

He said: "We deal with a lot of heart attacks post-lunch as people over-indulge. There is also a definite rise in choking incidents."

In a normal 24-hour period crews can expect to deal with up to 170 incidents.

Over Christmas that figure could rise to 240 stretching resources to near breaking point. To help cope with the increased workload, more ambulances and crew are rostered on.

On an average day, four ambulances manned by a team of two cover the whole of Swindon and surrounding areas. Over Christmas two or three extra ambulances are put on standby.

In addition, the service has two rapid-response Solo vehicles, which are designed to get to incidents as quickly as possible to carry out initial casualty assessments.

Surprisingly Mr Blackmore says some crews volunteer to work the Christmas shifts.

He said: "Some people decide they don't want to be at home over Christmas and would prefer to work.

"The atmosphere in the station can be good but usually we are all too busy. It is accepted by everybody that there is work to be done."

And it's a similar story with the police.

Acting Sgt Corin Dennison of central police station is a father-of-three and will be working 8am-4pm shifts over Christmas.

He says although Christmas Day in the station is normally fairly quiet, things soon pick up from Boxing Day as tensions rise.

He said: "A lot of people stay at home over Christmas and we do tend to see a rise in domestic incidents around this time."

Acting Sgt Dennison says he has planned to celebrate his Christmas over New Year when he is off-duty.

Religion or not, it's still a time for celebration

JUDITH Stares has vowed to spend the festive season as far away as she can from tinsel and turkey.

Instead the 60-year-old, who works as a humanist officiate carrying out non-religious marriages, is off on a "Bah humbug break," in a remote part of the Lake District.

"Over the festive period I'm going to a place where there's no tinsel, no turkey and no TV or telephone," she said.

"On Christmas Day I'll be climbing Scafell Pike and on Boxing Day there'll be a Caribbean barbecue."

Mrs Stares, who lives in Old Town, describes herself as a "humanist agnostic", and believes there is not enough evidence to prove God exists.

"I like to enjoy myself all year round, not just once a year," she said.

"And I no longer want to participate in the bun fight that Christmas has become.

"It's consumerism gone mad and it's not a pleasant sight."

It is a view that is increasingly shared by Christians in Swindon.

Christians are not the only religious people who are planning to celebrate over the next few days.

Dr Harbans Popley said many Sikh families would be joining in some of the rituals associated with Christmas, even if their religion did not give any special significance to December 25.

"Sikh children go to school and give and receive presents in the usual way," said Dr Popley, who has lived in Swindon for 25 years.

"Most Sikh families do have decorations and trees with lights it becomes routine.

"Christmas Day is a special day for the community in which we live so we feel a part of it."

Vijay Tanna, an accountant from Abbey Meads, is a practising Hindu.

His family also enjoys decorating a tree, and his children end up enjoying two celebrations Diwali in November and Christmas in December.

The only difference is the Christmas dinner the Tannas are vegetarians so turkey is not on the menu.

"All the religions say the same thing in terms of the importance of celebrating and getting together," said Mr Tanna.

"Gone of the days when creed or caste matter we are all one community and celebrating is not a problem."