‘Happy Birthday’ from WVFD

With everyone in the United States largely undergoing some form of quarantine or social distancing, many regular aspects of life have gone by the wayside.

While not the most important item on the list, there are many birthday parties that are being missed, as children, like adults, are encouraged not to gather in groups.

The Wimberley Fire Department has decided they can help lift the spirits of some of those kids who are turning the important page of the calendar.

“The kids can’t have birthday parties, so we thought we could do these ‘drive bys’ that would give them a little thrill,” Wimberley Fire Chief Carroll Czichos said. “They can’t come to the station or really do anything. We thought by going by their house and turning on the lights, it might help them celebrate a bit.”

For Hunter, it seemed to work.

With a stack of signs in his front yard announcing his birthday, a fire engine started the parade of cars wishing him happy birthday in his front yard. A few dozen of his friends trailed in individual cars with signs wishing him “Happy Birthday.” A Hays County Sheriff’s Deputy followed up at the end of the parade with another squeal of the sirens.

“I wasn’t expecting that,” Hunter said. His dad added, “I think he is still in shock.”

Braelyn turned two this weekend. She was the first Wimberley kid to have the fire department come and wish her a happy birthday.

“It was awesome,” her mom Windy said. “It is tough since we are stuck inside. We were just looking for a way to help make this day special.”

Czichos said that the fire department has received a lot of requests for birthday visits. As long as they don’t have to be out on call for an incident, they will keep showing up to help brighten the big day of Wimberley’s youth.