Local artist Big Shaun has teamed up with firefighters attempting to top the charts for Christmas number one this year.

The South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue completed 50 years of service this year, and they decided to celebrate with a catchy tune and groovy moves. The ‘Fire Safety Dance’ music video was released on Monday and has brought over 200,000 views across social media, making their way to the top charts for Christmas number one.

The upbeat music, with drummy beats and choreography by INK dance create the perfect hook step to have viewers dancing to the tunes. The music video shows firefighters all geared up grooving to the beats of the song, along with Big Shaun, and the teddy bear mascot has been the cherry-on-top.

The lyrics, while catchy, also deliver an important message of awareness about the mental health of firefighters. Big Shaun and the Steel People in collaboration with the Fire and Rescue service have aimed to raise money for the Fire Fighters Charity, and support the firefighters’ mental health.

The department has also encouraged teenagers under 16 to recreate the fire safety dance with their unique moves as a part of their campaign.

Deputy Chief Fire Officer Andy Strelczenie said that societal taboos around mental health still exist in the fire department. The song is just another medium to help residents and other firefighters offer a safe space to start a conversation around mental health.

He said: “New support like this is extremely valuable and this is why we want to raise as much as we can to help continue developing new ways for fire service personnel to get support.

“If we get to number one”, he continued, “we will celebrate with South Yorkshire and all those that have helped us get to number one! No matter where we place, the money raised for the Fire Fighters Charity will mean we are all winners anyway.”

Big Shaun, who believes that he was “born to be a performer,” has struggled with mental health issues, and  believes that “if you’ve got a talent, then you should use it to get a message across, and entertain people.”

He said: “If we can get any kind of chart position and raise some money, then I’ll be more than pleased with that.”

The Fire Safety Dance has brought festive cheers, while supporting an important cause. The song is officially released today, and the Christmas No.1 will be announced next Friday.

Featured image (Source – South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue).

Stream the song here