The Burnaby Firefighters' Charitable Society is holding a Christmas tree chipping event on Saturday, Jan. 5 at Lougheed Town Centre and on Sunday, Jan. 6 at Fire Station No. 1 at 4867 Sperling Ave. The event will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on both days.
According to Burnaby firefighter Jeff Clark, there will also be demonstrations every two hours on Sunday to show just how quickly a dry Christmas tree can catch fire.
"If you don't keep a tree moist, it'll go up in flames really fast," said Clark. "That's why we'll have demonstrations at 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. where we'll light up a Christmas tree and show people how fast it can go up in flames. It's a good public awareness event."
The weekend events will also allow people to bring in their old Christmas trees to be chipped. Clark said the event is by donation and people will be treated to hot dogs, popcorn, pop and tours of Burnaby fire trucks.
The money raised will go to a nutritious snack program for elementary school students in Burnaby. The program provides healthy snacks for students from families in need.
"We started the nutritious snack program in 2005 and we're now in 12 schools," said Clark. "Every four to six weeks, we deliver the snacks to the schools and we've already seen results. We're hearing that the kids are learning better and the snacks are making a difference."
Clark is reminding tree chipping participants to ensure that all ornaments, lights and other decorations be taken off from the tree beforehand. All tree sizes are welcome for chipping.
