Reporters listen to scanner traffic as much as possible, not because we want to, but because that’s where we find some of the stories readers most want to know about, or need to know about because an accident has shut down Route One, for example.

As an indicator, the ever-changing list of the top 10 most-read, current stories, found on the right side of our home page at wiscassetnewspaper.com, commonly includes stories public safety departments sent us or that we heard about because we were listening to the scanner. The sometimes hard work of gathering the information follows, but first we have to know about it.

Most of the traffic is not something we would ordinarily report on because it’s someone’s medical emergency no one needs to know about or it’s a minor accident, no one’s hurt and the road is cleared quickly.

We don’t even report on every fire, such as a chimney fire. If the fire goes no further and again, if no one’s hurt, we generally wouldn’t take up readers’ or our time with it. An exception would be if we happened to be right nearby to just take a picture of our local firefighters or other personnel doing what they train so much to do.

Another exception happened Saturday night, when a Wiscasset fire call turned out to be a chimney fire. It wouldn’t have warranted more than a mention in the weekly police blotter if not for the timing. It was Christmas Eve, when many of us didn’t have work to go to, but as always, that didn’t apply to those in public safety. Emergency workers come out at all hours, any day or night of the year. And Saturday night, Wiscasset firefighters did, and they and other area firefighters also got called out just a half-hour into Christmas Day.

The second, bigger fire happened in a town we don’t cover, Richmond, but it was notable locally because our local firefighters responded to the call and helped in the effort. And it was Christmas.

My favorite part of Dr. Seuss’ “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” is near the end, when all the Whos gather and Christmas comes, even without all that the Grinch stole. Some things have meaning just by themselves. Public safety does. To all those who take it on, responding at any time, even on Christmas, there are not enough thank you’s. But here’s one. Thank you.