Yellowknife's newest children's author, deputy fire chief Clem St. Croix, hopes his short illustrated children's book, Clumsy Cleans the Chimney, will help make a safer Christmas for all: moms, dads, kids, and, of course, Santa too.

The book tells the story of an accident-prone young man -- Clumsy -- who leaves his chimney cleaning chores to the last minute before Christmas, then gets trapped on the roof of his house.

Thankfully, the Yellowknife Fire Department -- including characters based on real city firefighters -- comes to the rescue, so Santa can deliver his presents.

When Yellowknifer caught up with St. Croix, he was anxiously awaiting word on whether his book will be ready for the last day of class before Christmas, which is today.

St. Croix said the book is geared toward students from kindergarten to Grade 3. The idea is for kids to be able to take home the book over Christmas holidays and read them with their families.

"This particular book is meant to be read by adults to children because there are certain safety messages in there," said St. Croix.

The book contains numerous safety tips for the holiday season, such as the safest place to set up a Christmas tree, and the best decorations to use.

St. Croix said he plans to write more Clumsy books on other safety topics. Illustrations were drawn by Valerie McPhee, wife of firefighter Sandy McPhee.

"It's very time consuming to do the artwork," said St. Croix, who says new books could focus on ice or boat safety,

The firefighters whose names grace the pages say it was a thrill. "Anything to get the message of safety out to the kids is good in my book," said Darcy Hernblad.